


The Wonderbird Chronicles

by EKGandthemonitor



Series: Wonderbird Chronicles [1]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Origin Story, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Friends, F/M, Friendship/Love, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-07-15 09:45:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 46,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7217503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EKGandthemonitor/pseuds/EKGandthemonitor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin and Wondergirl's full in-depth look at the pair's relationship starting in Young Justice: Legacy</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_ Olympia _

_ February 13, 23:48 EET _

 

A cool burst of wind swept along the ancient ruins of the Temple of Gaia, covering the stations and dig areas that fell several feet underground to numerous levels of the temple that had previously been lost to time in a new sheets of dirt. The industrial work lights that circled the site flickered from the particles collecting in their systems. The near complete silence came from the fact that everyone who worked on excavating and restoring the site had already left for a good night’s sleep. 

 

Still, the site was not totally deserted.

 

“Dr. Sandsmark please, it’s almost midnight. You need some rest.”

 

“In the courtyard yesterday,I found a statue of what looks like Uranus lined up near the entrance to the temple, earlier today one of the interns discovered the remains of not only Aether, but Chaos, Erebus, and Eros also aligned. Now I’d like to think that there’s a Nyx statue hidden here somewhere.” 

 

With that statement, Helena Sandsmark emerged from one of the small alcoves inside the dig. The rather short woman stood with a strong sense of dignity, with her white blouse and khaki pants layered with dirt and mud. Her medium length brown hair pulled back into a small ponytail to hide the clear fact that she had skipped several washes. Using one of the ladders close by, Helena climbed up to be level with her colleague Auguste. 

 

“But please Helena, you need sleep. The temple was built in the 7th century, it can wait a few more hours.”

 

The woman paid him no mind as she walked past him, “It was built in the 6th century, Auguste. Which is why it deserves to have all of it’s treasures out of the ground now. I need to stay a little while longer and document some of these pieces.” 

 

The stout middle-aged man looked disappointingly at Helena only for her to raise her hand to his shoulder, “Alright, I’ll go home if it’ll put your mind at ease. But I can’t promise you a full 7 hours will happen.”

 

Auguste’s look of dismay slowly changed to a look of acceptance, “If it means that you don’t pass out from exhaustion at the exhibit opening tomorrow, then it’s fine with me.” The hand that rested on Auguste’s should gave a short squeeze of comfort, then returned to Helena’s side as she prepared to leave. 

As she gathered her tool kit and papers, small waves of vibration hit the side of Helena’s waist. She reached down and lifted her phone to see the screen had a picture of her daughter Cassie, looking as though the photo was taken of her mid-laughing. Her eyes scrunched closed and bright blonde hair whirling around her. Helena slid the phone image and raised the phone to her ear, “Hello Cassie.”

 

“Hey mom, just wanted to call and see if you were alright.”

 

“Shouldn’t I be the one calling and making sure you haven’t burned down the apartment yet?”

 

“Yeah, but I figured you’d be too busy worrying about your antiquities more than me.I’m kinda surprised that you even answered.”

 

Helena rolled her eyes to her daughter’s statement. Placing her phone in between her shoulder and neck, she rummaged through her workspace looking for her keys and tablet thinking of what to say next, “Cassie we just talked on Friday.”

 

A brief pause was felt through the phone, “Today’s Friday mom.”

 

Helena stopped for a minute to process what had just been said, “What?”

 

“Today’s Friday,” Cassie quickly stated. “The last time we talked was last week.”

 

Memories of their last discussion ran through Helena’s head as she realized that it had been a week since they talked. Helena ran her free hand through her hair and pull out the hair tie holding up her hair as Cassie remained silent on the other end of the line.

 

“Alright you got me. Cassie I’m sorry. It’s just the dig has gotten so big, the exhibits about to open, it’s just-there’s so much going on Cass.”

 

On the other end Helena heard Cassie draw out a long breath, “It’s okay mom. I know how important the dig is to you.”

 

She closed her eyes and smiled, “Thank you Cass. Don’t worry I’ll be home before you know it.”

 

“No, no take your time. I mean you chose to leave your irresponsible child alone in a big empty apartment. I haven’t even thrown a party yet or gone out all night drinking.”

 

The remark made Helena chuckle a little as she finally found the keys and tablet, “So what are you really up to tonight?” Helena asked.

 

“Me and Liz were going to go catch a movie later.”

 

“After you finish your homework?”

 

Cassie quietly laughed and answered, “Yes ma'am.”

 

Helena’s gaze fell over to the crates full of broken or misplaced stones that were too small to show off to the public at the exhibit in Athens. Suddenly a moment of clarity came to Helena, “Cassie, I’ll call you back in a little while. Okay?”

 

“Alright. Love you.”

 

“Love you too. Bye.”

 

Helena grabbed her dark leather jacket that was laying on the table and jogged back out to where Auguste was turning off the worklights. Most of the worksite had already been engulfed with darkness, letting the bright moon cast some light on many of the columns and walls for Helena to be somewhat able to see where she was going.

 

She stopped a few feet away from Auguste, pulling her jacket on as another crisp breeze blew along the camp.

“Auguste, I was thinking, a few days ago we found a stone that didn’t quite look right. Dr. Zabat said that the markings on the piece were most likely ancient Babylonian. I remember he wanted to examine it, but I can’t recall where it went. Do you know what happened to it?”

 

Auguste’s back was turned away from Helena, but after dimming the lights to where they weren’t blinding, he said, “You should be more careful doctor. You never know when you might lose something that’s worth more than your life.”

 

Helena stepped back as she saw who she had presumed was Auguste turn towards her, “You’re not-Where’s Auguste?”

 

The man standing before her had a black and dark grey bodysuit completely covering him, except for two eyeholes that were a bright red. As he moved closer to her, Helena took several small steps back out of shock. As she moved further and further back, more similarly dressed men appeared from the shadows of the ruins, some jumping down from high scaffolds, others hiding behind columns and trees. Helena found herself surrounded on all sides.

  
“You’re not going to give us any problems now are you Doc?” Helena whipped her head behind her to find a young woman in a ripped up kimono, her face covered in a white smiling cat mask with red accents. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...


	2. A New Mission

_Washington D.C._  
_February 17, 20:45 EST_

 _“I’m sorry but the number that you have tried to reach has been disconnected. Try-”_ Cassie tore the phone away from her ear as she climbed up the stairwell to her apartment. Cassie felt it to be a little odd that her mother hadn’t called her back in a few days. Since the gala opening of her mother’s work was a few days ago, she had expected her mother to at least call her for a few moments to tell her how it went. Yet Cassie didn’t think too much of it as she fiddled with putting her phone back in her purse while wrestling with the groceries that filled up both of her hands. With her mom being in Olympia for the time being, Cassie had to try and seem as though she had her life together without her mother. She went to school, slept, and ate normally. Although as she climbed the stairs up to her home she regretted making a run to the store while it was pouring outside.

Her feet were killing her as she finally reached her door at the end of the hall. Dropping the grocery bags down by her feet, she searched her purse for her house keys. Adjusting the bright red raincoat she wore and pulling her brilliant blonde hair a little loose from the confines of the rain coat’s hood, Cassie unlocked the front door and gathered her groceries into her arms, entering the living room rather awkwardly juggling all her items in her arms.

After kicking the door closed with the back of her foot, Cassie looked around the room to see that all the lights had been turned off, but the majority of the room was bathed in the neon lights outside, giving the room an unnatural yellow glow. After flipping one of the light switches on, Cassie maneuvered her way around the living room, through the large area around the white sofa and deep black coffee table, and up to the doorway of the kitchen on the other side of the cramped room. The young blonde paid no mind to the storm that raged on outside as she placed many of her groceries on the counter of the minuscule kitchen. She had most of her food out on the counter when it finally hit her that she hadn’t switched the kitchen light on.

“Whoops,” she said to herself. She placed the last can in her bag on the counter and walked over to the light switch. “I guess it’d be nice if I could see what I was doing.”

Before she flipped the switch, Cassie whipped her head out to the living room, swearing that she saw a shadow move. Balling her right hand into a fist, she stepped out of the kitchen into the living room, only to see nothing. An enormous crash of lightning cased the whole room into bright light, revealing every nook and cranny to her. Nothing was out of the ordinary. After a few moments of dead silence, she turned back to the kitchen and flipped the switch on, and returned to putting her stuff away.

After taking a mere three steps, Cassie looked up at the hanging kitchen light, only for it to flicker for a few moments, then cut out, blanketing the room in semi-darkness once again.

Cassie’s head dropped in disappointment whispering to herself, “Perfect.”  
She stormed out of the kitchen back into the living room to see that all the lights had gone out. Only this time it was a little harder to see as the rain outside masked more of the visible light. Cassie strutted to the front door to check if the switch would work again, only to feel a cold gust of wind go past her. She tried to pay no mind to it and continued for the switch.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

Cassie nearly screamed as she instantaneously spun around, making her lose her balance and force the back of her body to collide with the door.

She slid to the ground clutching the back of her head as it began to throb. As Cassie raised her head and looked out into the darkness, another clash of lightning engulfed the room revealing two shadowy figures hiding in a corner on the other side of the room. One was over six feet tall, completely covered in a black cape and cowl with two large-pointed ears coming off the side of his head. The other person however was much shorter. He looked about Cassie’s age, with short, black athletic hair. He too was mostly covered in a black cape, with his arms crossed above his chest, but Cassie could see some hints of red and yellow long the boy’s arms and the inside of his cape. Both looked Caucasian from what little skin she could see. The shorter boy actually had most of his face shown, with only a small black domino mask covering his eyes.

After a few moments, Cassie saw the younger of the two shift his arms showing only for a moment, a stylized yellow _“R”_ on his left pectoral. A moment of clarity finally clicked in Cassie’s head as she realized just who was in her home.

“Ba-Batman?” she asked.

“We need to talk Miss Sandsmark.”

* * *

 

 _Mount Justice_  
_February 16, 21:39 EST_  
_TEAM YEAR FIVE_  
**23 HOURS EARLIER**

The Cave had been mostly emptied out, with all of it’s inhabitants either going out on patrol or just out for the evening. Artemis and Kid Flash stood idly by while Nightwing and Aqualad worked diligently at the computers in the main area of the Cave. After Batman contacted them to find Dr. Sandsmark, All four began discussing what was to be done about this mission.

Kid Flash leaned over to Artemis as she watched the computer screen above Nightwing and Kaldur, “So who you think did it? Random kidnappers? Intergang? Santa Claus?” Artemis softly elbowed Wally’s chest.

Aqualad put away the computer’s keyboard and turned around, gaining the attention of all the people in the room.

“The mission is evident,” spoke Kaldur. “Artemis, Kid Flash, and I will travel to Olympia and look for anything that could lead us to Dr. Sandsmark. Nightwing will remain here ready if we need him. We leave in five minutes. Clear?”

“Clear.” Everyone stated in unison.

Nightwing watched as the three walked out of the room, leaving him to his work. With most of the team out on separate missions, Dick was able to conduct his work in peace.

Until he heard the zeta tube go off in the corner of his ear. _“Recognized: Robin B20.”_ The bright flash of light emitted from the tube showed the outline of a caped-fourteen year old boy, then as the light died out, revealed the full form of Tim Drake; also known as the third Robin.

Nightwing heard Tim walk over to him, but he paid no mind as he continued working. He began pulling up more information on the missing Dr. Sandsmark. Tim stood next to Dick as more and more websites showed up on screen.

“Any leads on Dr. Sandsmark?”, Tim asked.

“Not really. Aqualad took the others to go check out where Dr. Sandsmark was abducted. They should find something and we’ll go from there.”

Tim walked over to one of the holographic-keyboards and looked at one of the articles about Helena Sandsmark. After scrolling a bit through the website he came across a photo of the doctor and what looked like her dig team of fifteen in Olympia. All the people in the photograph were scrunched together, with what looked like another dig site behind them. In the middle of the photo was the Dr. Sandsmark, being wrapped in the arms of a young blonde girl.

Tim’s attention was drawn to the girl. He hadn’t seen her in any of the other photos present on the websites Nightwing found, nor did they mention her at all. She seemed far too young to be one of Sandsmark’s colleagues; or an intern. Her bright blonde pooled around her shoulders, only held back by a small black headband, which looked as though it didn’t accomplish anything, as her wild bangs almost completely her breathtaking blue eyes. Tim didn’t notice that his momentary glance at the girl’s image soon turned into full-on staring.

Dick saw out of the corner of his eye that his little brother was looking very attentively at the photo of Dr. Sandsmark, but he didn’t really care until he noticed Tim zooming in on one of the younger girls of the archaeological party. He fought the urge to smile as he quietly watched his brother’s fascination grow. So naturally he keyed in commands on his holographic-keyboard to take the image away from Tim and place it onto the bigger screen in front of them.

Dick approached the photo, letting other information be deleted off the screen so that the image would be the center of attention.

“Alright, this is a photo taken a year ago at an excavation site near Delphi. Everyone in the photo has already been checked out and accounted for.”

Tim raised his head slightly and asked, “What about her?” as he pointed out to the young blonde in the middle of the crowd.

“Cassandra Sandsmark. Dr. Sandsmark’s daughter.”

“Local authorities in Olympia didn’t say if she had her daughter with her,” Tim spoke curiously.

Dick zoomed in the photo so that only Dr. Sandsmark and Cassandra were shown in the photo, “Her daughter rarely if ever accompanies her to any digs or galas if they’re out of the country. She normally stays at their apartment in Washington D.C.”

Tim turned to Dick and asked, “Does she know anything?”

Dick stared at the screen, “We don’t know. We can assume that the kidnappers weren’t after both or else we would have heard from Batman that Cassandra was abducted as well.”

Tim nodded his head in agreement, looking at the image one more time. In that moment, Dick turned back to his work saying, “If you want I can ask Batman if you two should go and ask her a few questions-”

“NO!”

Dick immediately turned his head to see Tim’s face so crimson red that it almost matched his uniform. The younger of the two instantly ducked his head away from any further embarrassment while stammering, “I-I mean, this is a team mission; Batman didn’t want to get involved. ‘You can pull a small squad together to go investigate.”

Dick’s brotherly affection kicked in a little more as he moved to his brother’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder and saying, “Hey. You haven’t been out on too many missions yet. Everybody’s already gone and Batman still needs the Boy Wonder by his side. You two will go out, you’ll ask Cassandra if she knows anything about her mother’s disappearance, and look around the apartment to see if there might be a clue to who could be behind this while Alpha squad checks the dig site in Greece. Nothing I know you can’t handle.”

Tim lifted his head up to Dick, letting one of the corners of his mouth curve into a smile.  
“You’ll be fine Tim. Just try to stay whelmed. You’ll just go to talk. Even if she knows anything, we both know the only person for the job is Batman.”

Tim nodded his head meagerly, “Okay.”

“Good.” Dick patted Tim’s shoulder a bit before raising his hand to ruffle up the boy’s short black hair. He walked back over to the keyboard when, “Dick?”

He turned to face his little brother, “What?”

Tim lowered his head once more only to face Dick head on saying, “Thanks.”

A video screen appeared above the two brothers, ending their touching moment, which revealed a video feed of Kid Flash, Artemis, and Aqualad in the middle of the Bioship.

Kaldur, sitting at the helm of the Bioship proudly stated, “Nightwing, we are prepared for departure. Open the bay doors.”

Dick typed in the commands, letting the doors of the bay hanger open. Through the video, Tim and Dick watched as the Bioship lifted gracefully off the platform and zoomed out of Mount Justice heading straight for Olympia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks very much for reading, please like or comment.


	3. Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty long chapter, I hope you all like it. This was actually a blast of a chapter to write. I expected it to only be about 5-6 thousand words, but it pretty much doubled that and I didn't want to cut anything. Hope you like it, leave a comment, or just go to the next chapter. Thank you.

_Washington D.C._

_February 17, 20:59 EST_

 

Cassie sat on the floor, knees bent up to her chest and her back resting against the door. She tried to massage the back of her head which was throbbing in pain from her little jump scare moments ago. Her head only came in contact with the door for a moment, but she still felt the back of her skull pulsating with discomfort. Cassie tried to think of something to do with the two guests currently standing in her living room, but as her mind scrambled to come up with a plan, she heard one of them clear his throat, clearly trying to get her attention.

 

She looked back up to the heavily shadowed room, searching for the two strangers that were concealed somewhere in the dark. Yet the bump on her head made her vision distorted, which did anything but help her in her plight. Lightning lit up the room once again, revealing Batman and Robin’s silhouettes in the corner opposite to her. Batman, who had stayed in his place, stood tall and proud with his cape hiding most of his body while the younger boy had moved only a little. Instead of standing right next to his mentor, he shifted himself so that he could lean on the wall space between the only windows of the room. He had a placid look imprinted on his face, which Cassie tried to read through the flash of lightning. Yet the moment the lightning died, she lost sight of him once again.

 

“We need to talk Miss Sandsmark,” Batman uttered as he began to walk towards her. The fear within her grew exponentially as she watched his dark outline move. Ideas of her phasing through the door behind her to escape came to mind, or that there really was no door, instead a long endless hallway that would not let her get away from the hulking shadow slowly coming for her.

 

“We don’t mean you any harm, we just need to talk.”

 

He halted his advances halfway through the room, stopping next to the black coffee table and white sofa. He turned his head to look upon the white sofa and the small white lounge chair that sat close to him. He raised his head to look the young blonde square in the eye. As Cassie’s vision began to adjust to the darkness, she started gaining focus on the two white lenses of Batman’s cowl that were looking straight at her.

 

Tim, realizing the awkward silence was not helping anyone, quickly moved from the wall towards the girl. Yet as he moved closer, he watched the blonde push herself further into the wall, clearly in fear of both him and Batman. He could understand her being scared of Batman; but him? He immediately stopped moving towards the girl, coming to a halt only a few feet behind his mentor.

 

“He’s telling the truth,” he said before noticing Cassie still cringing a little bit in fear. “We need to talk to you about your mother.”

 

The mere mention of Cassie’s mother caught her interest, making her relax against the wall, her knees lowering from her chest to the floor. She rose at a glacial pace from the floor, her legs trembling a bit as she navigated herself to the white lounge chair close to Batman. As she took her seat the lights quickly flickered back on, various noises erupted from the television, oven, and printer needlessly reminding Cassie that the power had returned.

 

Cassie silently offered the two masked heroes a seat on her sofa, but Batman remained standing while his quiet youth quickly shook his head, politely rejecting her offer.

 

“Alright, you have my attention; what do you want with my mother,” Cassie asked as her hands fidgeted anxiously on the plush cushioning.

 

Batman’s stoic face remained as he slowly said, “We don’t want anything with your mother. But someone else does.”

 

Cassie’s hands froze, “What?”

 

The dark knight wasted no time explaining, “Your mother was abducted outside her dig site in Olympia.”

 

Cassie’s world lost focus for a moment. She felt, well no, she didn’t feel anything for a moment. Her whole system felt desensitized after Batman uttered those words. Every muscle in her body told her to stand up, yell at the caped crusader, or at least take a few steps to make sure that she could still move. All that she was able to do was turn away from him, since screaming at him that he was lying would not do her any good. The apathetic smolder he wore gave Cassie all the assurance that he was one hundred percent serious.

 

Watching Cassie suffer silently made Tim undeniably more uncomfortable than he already was. He had to break into a rather beautiful teenage girl’s apartment, then proceed to watch Batman tell her that her mother had been kidnapped. Part of him wanted to comfort the blonde, but as Robin, he could only stand by and watch a fourteen year old get sympathy from an almost middle-aged man in a batsuit.

 

Cassie felt tears brimming in her eyes, but she knew that she had to keep a hold of herself, for the sake of her mother. With her head still lowered and her voice almost inaudible to hear, she asked, “Who did this?”

 

Batman quickly answered, “We can’t be sure. Local authorities in Olympia don’t have any leads, and whatever clues we have uncovered don’t point in any direction.” He turned to Tim, looking at  him as though he was offering him to step in and speak.

 

Tim begrudgingly took a few steps forward, moving past his mentor and coming to a stop right before the blonde. She raised her head to look right at Tim, making him take a step or two back for his own good. With her staring at him with puffy pink eyes lined with tears, Tim lost his courage to speak any words of condolence to her. He looked behind him, only to see Batman nod his head, giving Tim the sense that he should go one and be the voice of comfort and reason that she needed. Tim knew that Batman’s gloomy demeanor did not make him look empathetic or caring. So giving him the responsibility to convey proper human emotion and etiquette to the distraught girl was more appropriate than sending in Batman. Still, underneath all the cold iron that Bruce used as his mask, there was a strong, compassionate, and willful man that would do everything in his power to make sure that Cassandra Sandsmark would get her mother back.

 

A moment or two later, Tim turned back to face Cassie. With him standing and her sitting down, Tim felt uneasy looking down on her. He knelt down on one knee, bringing him eye-level with her dazzling baby blue eyes. With their attentions locked onto each other, Tim meekly whispered, “I know that this is hard for you, but I promise you that we will find your mother and we will bring her back.”

 

He awkwardly raised his hand, thinking that he would place it on one of hers, but after a few seconds he realized how stupid that was. He spent a minute waving his hand up and down deciding whether or not to go through with that plan, but he caught sight of an obvious look of discomfort and confusion on Cassie’s face. Tim promptly threw his hand back at his side.

 

Cassie nodded in reply, letting a smile slip from her mouth telling the Boy Wonder that his attempt at consolation was not in vain. He nodded in turn, not noticing that a smile was slowly appearing on his face as well.

 

After several minutes of questioning from Batman, he and his trusted sidekick concluded that Cassie didn’t have any information on her mother’s whereabouts or who took her. She explained that her mother had not called her for days, which at first she didn’t think was odd, but part of her didn’t feel as though everything was alright. Batman made Cassie aware he had sent a team out looking for her mother, and that they had received several messages from them detailing their search for Dr. Sandsmark, but it would still be some time before they found her. The dynamic duo sensed that their time at Cassie’s apartment was at an end, so Tim slid open one of the two spacious windows of the living room letting in a large gust of wind and noise from the bustling streets below the building.

 

Robin stepped out of the way, letting his mentor move onto the windowsill with his grappling hook in hand. He turned back to the young blonde one last time. “We’ll be in touch Miss Sandsmark.” With that said, he released his grappling hook and jumped from the window. Cassie ran to the other window and watched as black shape of the caped crusader grew smaller and smaller, ultimately disappearing into the night.

 

Right after the dark knight left, Cassie leaned away from the window only to see Robin still in the room, searching for his own grappling hook. Cassie took advantage of the moment and walked over to him. She crossed her arms to protect herself from the bitter wind that was rushing in. When he finally regarded her presence, she asked, “Is he always like that?”

 

He looked a little confused at her question, “Intimidating to the core?”

 

Both broke out into light chuckle at the thought.

 

“No. But seeing him only scowl made me wonder if smiling would actually kill him,” she said as she tried to hide her laughter. She then began to feel a lock of her hair fall out of place behind her ear. She tried to nonchalantly pull it back behind her ear, but as she did her eyes got caught on Robin’s mask. She quickly looked away, her face blazoned with embarrassment. She moved so fast that she didn’t even notice that he also had turned away, his face a matching bright red.

 

“Like Batman said, we’ll be in touch,” Tim rushingly said as he dashed to the windowsill. He had one boot on the sill when he heard Cassie say, “They must be a good team.”

 

Tim felt confused again by her outburst. _‘What?’_ he thought as he gazed at the girl only a few feet away from him, who looked as though her statement required reassurance from him. He didn’t realize that the expression on his face did nothing to hide his bewilderment.

 

“The team,” Cassie quickly rebutted, “The team Batman said is looking for my mom.”

 

Tim’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head after she explained what she meant. He took a few moments to retort, stuttering all the way. His words finally became coherent when he said to her, “Right right. Sorry.” He pivoted a little on the sill so that he wasn’t facing out into the dark winter’s night, but to the blonde who stared at him with doe eyes.

 

“Don’t worry,” he began “They are a good team. Batman would trust them with his life, and so would I. Everything will work out; don’t worry.”

 

Cassie tried to shrug off her insecurities, “I just have a bad feeling. Like something horrible is gonna happen.” realizing her poor choice of words due to her circumstances, she continued, “I mean-something even worse is gonna happen.”

 

Tim asked, “To your mom?”

 

“I guess. Or to me,” She shook her head at the thought, trying to think of something not so dark so she wouldn’t freak out the batkid still in her home. “Wow that sounded selfish. I-I don’t know. It’s just a stupid feeling.”

 

Tim’s face hardened as he jumped down from the sill and marched straight towards Cassie, “Nothing bad is going to happen to you Cass. I promise.”

 

Silence casted itself into the room shortly thereafter. With him standing so close to her, Cassie suddenly realized just how tall Robin was compared to her. She looked up to see his eyes solely focused on her and his jaw clenched. His whole figure screamed out that he was strong and determined. But not in a way that made him frightening like his mentor, it made him rather comforting. She couldn’t help but feel protected and important with him staring at her.

 

Tim’s eyes widened behind his mask as he saw her strikingly blue eyes widen with what he interpreted as admiration. He then turned back to the window with his grappling hook prepped and read. He nodded his farewell to her as he pulled the gun’s trigger, letting the hook fly into the open air, connecting to another building. The thrust of the gun launched him into the night air, letting him soar high above the streets of Washington D.C.

 

Cassie ran to the open window as the boy was propelled from the window. She nearly threw herself out the window to watch as Robin flew from one building to another, then disappear all together. Even minutes after he was gone, she still laid her upper body out on the window just watching the direction in which he had left. She stayed paralyzed in awe over the grace that Robin had shown as he maneuvered through the sky. She didn’t even notice the snow that had began to fall gently around her. The few particles of frigid water that landed in her hair and on her face broke her from her reverie. She leaned back into the room, letting one of her hands linger outside in the cold just long enough to catch a snowflake in her hand before she quietly closed the window.

 

* * *

 

_Gotham City_

_February 17, 18:16 EST_

**2 HOURS EARLIER**

The evening’s climate in Gotham had taken a somber turn to say the least. Though the morning and early afternoon had a small chill in the air, the day was pleasant. But after the sun went down, dark clouds blanketed the night sky letting everyone know that a storm was brewing above.

When the rain finally hit the city it did not start out as a gentle overture, like small droplets trickling down for a few moments before letting go of control. No, instead it released all its fury, showing no mercy or sign that it would stop. Drivers on the highways leading to and from Gotham only slowed their maniac driving when the pounding of water on their windshields was too fast for the wipers to keep up with.

With this slow down, many cars were forced to come to a grinding halt to avoid slamming into one another. Soon car after car were sitting in their lanes waiting for either the rain to let up, or for the driver ahead of them to gain enough courage to move onward in the blinding downpour.

Yet one car stood out amongst the hundreds of old or beaten down vehicles plaguing the highway: a glittering white limousine. The car’s tinted windows effectively hid the identity of it’s occupants; Mercy Graves and the business mogul Lex Luthor.

After being forced to escape from Santa Prisca mere hours ago then be thrown into a meeting in Gotham, Luthor was in anything but a good mood with how the day’s progression went.

Mercy, Lex’s bodyguard and assistant, sat quietly opposite to Luthor, sporting her usual gray business suit accompanied with a pair black heels for her petite feet. Her legs crossed demurely. Her attention was squarely focused on the bundle of Kord Industries business assessments sitting in her lap. She took very little notice at her employer who was sitting in his seat gazing out into the dark rainstorm.

“Of all the locations on this earth, Klarion chose to hid Doctor Sandsmark in Gotham.” Mercy lifted her gaze on the man sitting on the other side of the limo. His normal black suit and red tie though clean and perfect as always, began to crease as he raised his left arm to his face almost covering his mouth. Purely out of boredom. “Gotham has never interested me,” Lex almost whispered. “Do you know why?” Mercy shook her head in a no, allowing Lex to continue.

“The city is a ruin. Of course it would be a good foundation for charitable work. Shelters to house the poor, soup kitchens for the homeless, beautification crews that would not only clean up the city, but supply part-time jobs to those in need. We could be able to create many new prospects for Gotham. Perhaps our work would help the city flourish. But at what cost? Any business we would create would be subjected to endless sea of burglars and crime families, and could therefore end up to be a poor investment. That coupled with an utterly depressing social life and annoying bat infestation. And if nothing else; lousy weather,” he said as outside his window, the rain quickly transitioned into freezing rain.

“But I do suppose those factors are not the worst part. Do you know what is?” Mercy opened her mouth only to hear, “Rhetorical, Mercy. No doubt Gotham’s worst part: it’s criminals.”

Lex looked at Mercy who only sat in silence. The bored lifeless expression that currently resided on her face gave him the impression that she did not enjoy his pandering. “Don’t look at me that way, you’re paid to protect me. Any soliloquies I make during your working hours comes free.”

Lex’s comment only made Mercy’s stoic look remain. He turned his attention away from her and out to the night sky, only to watch as some of the raindrops slid from the top of his window to the bottom leaving small lines of water behind.

Mercy watching closely as Lex longingly stared out the window into the rain. His own reflection stared back at him, showcasing his patented ominous sneer. Yet his face began to change, his eyelids drifted downward, the corner of his lips falling down into their natural state. Though this change was only momentary, his face had changed from supercilious to world-weary.  

“This city is full of criminals who do not share in our code of conduct or have the right brains to know that our side of the law is more...profitable. They do what they want; without any foresight of the consequences. Their reckless; loose cannons if you will,” He paused his speech to reach down at the small bar built into his side of the limousine.

He then pulled out two clean snifters along with a small bottle of Cognac. He quietly poured some of the drink into the glasses, then placed them both by his side while returning the bottle to its rightful place.

He picked up his glass and passed the other to Mercy, “And that my dear, is the wrong kind of criminal.” The two gently tapped their drinks together in silent agreement.

As the rain began to slow down, more and more cars decided to go faster along the highway. The limousine was then allowed to move forward and continue towards its destination. Only a few minutes passed before the limo pulled up to a vacant alley on the outskirts of the city. The car passed several abandoned buildings and lots littered with garbage before coming upon a small metal warehouse worn down by the hands of time.

The car pulled alongside the building to a dimly lit metal door rusted with age. Mercy climbed out on her side and ran to the other side umbrella in hand to open Luthor’s door. She opened the umbrella and let it hover above as Lex slid out of his seat,  safely protected from getting drenched. He walked around the car to the door and let Mercy knock on it.

A small metal slot in the door that Lex had not noticed slid to the side and revealed a man with sunglass-covered eyes, “Yes?” the figure asked. It took him a mere second to realize he was letting Lex Luthor stand out in the freezing rain. “Oh, sorry Mr. Luthor.” The sunglasses suddenly disappeared behind the door. The sound of locks moving quickly erupted from inside the building then gave way the the door swinging open revealing the sunglass toting henchman. He stepped out of the way letting Lex and Mercy walk into the building.

The interior of the warehouse was just as illuminated as the outside was, leaks from the roof left puddles form on the floor of the building. This gave some areas of the ground mirror-like appearances. Most of the building was already a ruin, a small staircase next to the door looked too unstable to even consider using. The lofted area where the stairs led to appeared to be even more treacherous. In his mind, Lex considered condemning the building, but it still could serve some purpose later on so he ignored the idea. The two visitors took a moment to watch the guard retrieve a large flashlight from the back of his belt. He clicked the light’s on button several times before it slowly flickered to life. He then stepped in front of the party, signalling the two to follow him. He then lead them across the main floor of the warehouse, past some of Lex’s own LexCorp robots and other equipment, then down to a less imposing flight of stairs, and finally down to the basement of the complex.

The room which they were led into was the same size as the main floor, only the ceiling was much lower, which would give anyone a minor feeling of claustrophobia. Most of the room was cloaked in darkness, when the guard flashed his light at any part of the room, all it revealed was some overturned chairs and desks, and some support columns. At the end of the room though, there were two floodlights set up on the floor which allowed Lex to see a few figures hovering over a large table, most armed with typical rifles and small pistols.

As they walked closer towards the figures, Lex started to notice a small caucasian woman, slightly hunched over the table working vigorously. Her short, choppy brown hair hanging over her face, dancing on the scattered sheets of paper littering the table top. It took him no time to deduce that she was indeed Dr. Helena Sandsmark, the archeologist that apparently had the skills to locate the missing statue fragments. But her usefulness was running out. She had already found most of the pieces, but she still stood at the table working meticulously.

Lex stopped a few feet away from the group, waiting for them to take notice of him and his assistant. Most of the men turned around to face him, but the doctor went on with her work as though nothing had changed.

“Well it’s about time Lexy,” a loud shrill voice had shouted.

Lex eyed most of the goons, the majority of them were covered in black, some wore black caps or hoods to conceal their faces, but Lex had not seen any of them move their mouths to utter what had just spoken.

The man who escorted them through the warehouse shined his light in the direction where the voice came from, but before it hit anything, the light flickered violently then went completely out. Suddenly the floodlights around the room started glowing brighter, allowing more of the room to be seen.

“I should have figured that you were lurking about,” Lex calmly replied.

He stared at one of the columns that was now visible but still had enough shadows cast on it to hide whomever was behind it.

Stepping out of the shadows, in his usual elegant fashion, was a tall, lanky young man in a slim-fitting black suit. Next to him was a small orange housecat with burning red eyes. The cat clawed at its master’s leg, desiring to be let up. He opened his arms letting the cat jump into his embrace. Lex knew his fellow colleague felt a small tinge of delight in seeing his old friend, “Klarion, always a pleasure.”

The witch boy walked towards Luthor, “Come to check on our progress?” He looked over to the woman who now was peering over her shoulder, somewhat in fear. “She’s been moving rather slow. Almost as if she isn’t afraid of what will happen to her,” he said as his cat Teekl hissed at him harshly, and somehow, naggingly. “Oh yeah, or her little brat. What was her name again?”

Dr. Sandsmark then rushingly threw herself back into her work, pretending that she was ignoring everything being said around her. But with the threat that was just made against her daughter, she wanted to throw everything on the table at her captors and commit a Hail Mary out of the building. She couldn’t risk it though. Not for her and for her own daughter’s sake. The only thing she could do was stall long enough for someone to come find her. She had sent out a distress signal on the tablet she had dropped before she was taken. She didn’t know if anyone had gotten her message, but for the past few days she had been leaving more and more messages whenever she was alone, praying that it would lead to her rescue.

“I have no doubt that Dr. Sandsmark is performing at her highest level. Actions would only be taken out against her daughter if she gave us just cause to do so,” Luthor utted. He knew that Sandsmark wouldn’t be stupid enough to try and play them. Not with her life on the line.  He then motioned towards his associate to join him off to the side, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the room.

  
The two casually strode around, cautious of where they walked as some of the room was still badly lit. “Now Klarion tell me the truth, has the good doctor been doing what we asked of her?"

Klarion quickly replied, “She keeps whining, _‘You won’t get away with this. You won’t get away with this.’_ She’s becoming annoying. How much longer till we get rid of her?”

“Patience my friend. The good doctor has almost fulfilled her purpose. Beyond her complaining, she’s been nothing but compliant no?”

Klarion scrunched up his face, mimicking the look a four year old would give when something didn’t go his way, “We’ve had to babysit her for days Luthor. At least let me take out her little whelp.”

“No. Indeed removing our dear friend Dr. Sandsmark from the equation would guarantee her silence about our goals, but terminating her daughter? That would just be bad for business.”

Luthor’s rebuttal made Klarion pout even more than he already was. Not only was he stuck watching over someone that he saw as a killjoy, but now he was being told that he couldn’t have a little fun with the doc’s urchin of a kid. Lex didn’t feel like engaging with Klarion while he was behaving like a child. He turned on his heel and started back towards Mercy and the others.

“You think you know everything don’t you Luthor?”

Lex stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look upon the witch boy.

“Have you stopped to think that maybe mommy dearest might have told the brat about the fragments? And what if she went to the justice babies for help and became buddy-buddy with them! I heard you had problems with the doofuses in Santa Prisca earlier. Same with Sportsmaster and Cheshire. She could have told them what the doc told her and lead them to us!”

Luthor didn’t want to entertain Klarion’s idea, but he had wondered how the team had acquired information that lead them to their digs in Siberia and Santa Prisca. Lex didn’t want to run the risk of there being any loose ends that could end up ruining his plans. With Miss Sandsmark running around unchecked, he could feel that there was more to the story than her just being Helena Sandsmark’s young naive daughter.

While he was caught in his cogitation, Lex didn’t observe one of the guards that was watching the doctor had taken a call from one of the Light’s other associates. After hanging up the man instantly ran to Luthor’s side, catching him off guard, “Mr. Luthor, we-we got a problem.”

Lex, now back in touch with reality asked, “What is it?”

The goon took the next few minutes to quietly explain to Lex that radio signals were sent out of the building without their knowledge. Some had been intercepted by the Watchtower’s sensors and to an unknown location in Happy Harbour, Rhode Island. Lex took a moment to take in what he was told.

“I believe we will have no further need of your services Dr. Sandsmark,” He shouted out. Helena lifted herself away from the table confused about what had just been said. “I’m sure our friends here will see to it that you have a safe journey back home.” Immediately two guards took hold the doctor. Her yelling and screaming to be let go persisted as they dragged her up the main stairwell to the floor above.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Lex muttered to himself.

He strolled back to Klarion, who was then preoccupied with slowly stroking the cat resting in his arms, looking as though he was still pouting. “It would appear that Dr. Sandsmark wasn’t as complacent as we thought. She sent several messages out and it would appear our friends in the Justice League received them.”

Klarion’s face then slowly mutated from a sullen sneer to demonic smirk, the creases of his face contouring into the stuff of nightmares. “Well this changes things,” he said while trying to hold back his sinister giggling. “You’ll reconsider your stance on the twerp’s wellbeing?”

Lex sighed in defeat, “It would appear so. We’ll see to it that the doctor’s error in judgement will prove calamitous.” His desire to leave the situation alone and return to Metropolis grew, making him signal Mercy to return to his side. The two started for the stairs before Lex heard one of the remaining guards ask, “What about the doc? Should we have her dig her own grave?”

Lex turned his head slightly, “See to it that Mr. Nygma gets thrown a bone so to speak. I’ve already employed him on a job here in Gotham and I don’t believe he’ll mind the extra company. But make sure he keeps his mouth shut. We can’t afford any mistakes from him.”

Klarion soon screamed, “What about me?”

“I have need of you in New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a few things that belong to us; fetch them for me?”

Teekl hissed angrily at Luthor, causing Klarion to pet the cat more to calm it down, “Shh! I was getting to that. When do we get the tablet Luthor? You promised I’d get it and I want it know!”

Luthor closed his eyes, taking one of his hands and rubbing his temples, “Retrieve the fragments in New York and I guarantee you the Tablet my friend.”

The smirk that had rested on Klarion’s face returned, along with his dark laughter that reminded Lex of a crow shrieking into the night. The echoes of the laughter followed him as he, Mercy, and the guard he came down with climbed back up the stairs and through the main floor of the warehouse.

The three were near the entrance, which Mercy went in front of them to prepare the limo for Lex’s departure. Before Lex reached the door though, the guard asked, “Should I send out a squad to take care of the Sandsmark kid Mr. Luthor?”

“That won’t be necessary, thank you. But do send word to Deathstroke that I have a job in need of his talents. This is a sensitive assignment that I don’t want to get botched.”

Lex walked out of the building into the cold, Mercy waiting for him with the limo door open. He slid in smoothly while she closed the door and ran to the other side. After her door slammed the driver took off heading straight for Metropolis.

* * *

 

_Washington D.C._

_February 17, 23:46 EST_

The door of the bathroom when opened, let out the hot steam that it accumulated as Cassie stepped out in her warmest set of pajamas, wringing out her wet blonde hair. She whipped her hair behind her as she made her way to the living room to shut off the lights. The night had been both terrifying and exciting, but she knew that she had a long day ahead of her tomorrow if she didn’t try to get some sleep.

She quickly shut the two light switches off, then made her way towards the tall lamp that sat in the corner on the other side of the room near the windows. She turned the small switch on it, letting the late hour of night plunge the room into darkness. She turned to look out the window while small snowflakes still drifted freely through the air. She smiled kindly as her thoughts drifted off to Robin, coming to the aide of her mother, defeating the bad guys, and saving the day.

She slowly shuffled her bare feet across the soft carpeted floor, barely making a sound with the exception of her bright blue flannel bottoms’ fabric swishing against the carpet. Sleep began to overtake her eyes as she made her way down the long hall that lead to her mother’s room and to her own.

That was until she heard something that sounded like a glass move in the kitchen.

Stopping where she stood, Cassie turned herself around to look back down the hall, the bare white walls giving of a hint of creepiness as they were bathed in darkness. She tip-toed silently down the hall, with a very unsettling shiver running down the back of her spine.

“Batman?” she whispered. No reply came. “Batman is that you?”

By now she was back in the living room, creeping her way towards the vacant kitchen. She looked around for something heavy to hold, only a small granite statue of Osiris sitting on the coffee table seemed an appropriate weapon in her line of vision. She quickly clung to it, positioning it in her right hand ready to hit whatever it was that she heard. Her breathing became small and shallow as she inched herself closer and closer to the doorway. Her left hand raised itself higher and higher into the air, trembling in the fear that was overtaking Cassie. She either intended to use her hand to hold back who or what she would find in there, or to turn on the lightswitch to see what made the noise.

The moment she let her foot hit the opening of the kitchen, she threw herself at the switch and immediately spun around to hold herself against the wall, statue in hand ready to strike.

But there was no one. Everything was in its place, no window open, no plates or glasses left out on the clean counters. Nothing was wrong.

 

Cassie slowly lowered her make-shift weapon down to her side, fear subsiding within her as she told herself, _‘You’re okay. It’s okay. Just imagining things. Nothing’s there.’_ She took three long and deep breaths before lifting herself away from the wall and shut off the light. She walked through the living room keeping the statue tight in her hand as she didn’t want to let go of it just yet. She even considered holding onto the statue for the night since she was still shaken up about what had just happened.

 

She continued taking her deep breaths down the hall, taking her sweet time to make it back to her room.

 

As she was letting out one of her breaths, a noise which she thought sounded like two padded feet hitting the ground came from behind her. Her heart paused as she jerked her head back coming face-to-chest with a much taller and frightening man wearing a black and orange mask with one dead eye staring back at her.

  
Not a second passed between the two before he grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the wall next to them. She tried to use her strength and smash the Osiris statue against the man’s head, which shattered upon impact, but the man gave no mind to her attack. The hand on her throat only grew tighter and tighter. Cassie’s strength and vision began to dwindle from the loss of air. She swung her arms at him, hitting his shoulders and back, but her attempts at escape were futile. She could feel her last moments of life slip between the assassin's fingers.


	4. Deathstroke

_Washington D.C._

_February 17, 23:58 EST_

 

The existence of time became meaningless to Cassie as the life within her was being choked out. She didn’t know how long she had endured the assassin’s torture, as either moments or minutes dragged on into an endless cycle of short gasps of air and her shaking fingers trying to tear the man’s ice cold hand away from her neck. Her eyes locked onto her attacker’s mask, the one dead-eye that was visible to her, was scrunched into an irritated, and somewhat demonic appearance. She knew that she had to figure something out right then, because he would either finish her off by suffocating her or throwing her head against the wall one more time.

 

She squeezed her eyes closed and with the last of her strength, she swung her leg, kicking him directly below his right knee. Cassie didn’t hear a small cracking noise after she kicked him, nor did she feel any pain in her foot from hitting him. She did however hear the man give out a quick huff of pain, right before letting go of her throat to reach down to his injured leg. That lapse of time let Cassie’s feet hit the floor, her back still resting on the wall allowing air to return to her lungs.

 

Without a second thought, Cassie balled her left hand into a fist, and swung not only her arm, but the upper half of her body, letting all of her impetus collide with the assassin’s face.

 

The impact caused a near ripple-effect in the assailant’s mask, not enough to shatter the facial part of his disguise, but enough force to knock him out of the bent position that he was in, and right through the wall behind him, and into the bedroom behind it.

 

The aftershocks from the punch reverberated in Cassie’s body, causing her to lose all of her balance and drop to the floor gasping for air. Her eyes widened to give her the look of a fish thrown out of water. Her choking masked the disgruntled moans erupting from her mother’s bedroom, yet out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man gradually rise to his feet. No doubt ready to return the favor that she had bestowed unto him.

 

She tried to push herself off of the ground so that she could stand up and run away, but her whole body writhed in agony from the loss of oxygen. The only thing that she could do at the moment was bend her arms inward, and use her elbows to try and move towards the front door. Her pitiful movements barely gained her any ground, all the while her foe’s whimpers of pain and anger grew louder and closer to her.

 

Cassie had made her way from the hall and half way through the living room before she heard the sound of her mother’s door being clumsily thrown open and her mysterious aggressor falling against the opposite wall outside of the room.

 

The girl brought the palms of her hands onto the floor and pushed with all of her might to raise herself off the ground once again. The growing pressure in her arms made her muscles and bones shiver and quake, as if she was lifting the entire planet instead of only herself. Yet by some miracle she was able to push herself up and back onto her quivering feet.

Instead of taking short choppy steps to the door, she made enormous strides which in all reality were leaps towards her only escape.

 

She lunged her body at the door, her hand firmly grasping the handle ready to leave when she felt an enormous gust of wind fly right past her and into the door. Her eye suddenly met with a large naginata lodged into the edge of the door and the door frame, eliminating her chances of leaving.

 

Wide-eyed and terrified, she backed away from the door only to see her pursuer in mid-air, sword in hand ready to slice her from head to toe.

 

In less than an instant, she jumped back just far enough from his reach to avoid being split in half, but still close enough to the blade to see her own horrified reflection in the central ridge of the weapon. The sword’s point clanged against the floor while Cassie tried to make it down the hall to her bedroom. Her body still screamed in pain, but with her wannabe murderer not too far behind her-

“Do you really think running away is going to delay the inevitable?”

 

Cassie propelled herself into her room slamming the door right behind her. She flipped the lock then immediately turned to the large white dresser sitting next to her. Sensing that it was the perfect object to use as a barricade, she ran to its side and pushed it as hard as she could in front of the door. The awful skidding sounds of the dresser were appalling to her ears, but right as she moved it into place, Cassie began to hear a loud banging coming from the opposite side of the door.

 

Backing away from her mediocre barrier, Cassie stood in silence as the crashing sound persisted only for a moment, before stopping altogether. She couldn’t help but stare at the doorknob as it began to rotate, without a single sound indicating that it was moving, giving the blonde even more anxiety from just watching the eerie sight.

 

However, the silence was broken when the lock made it’s comforting clicking noise, ensuring that the young girl had the small comfort of a door lock protecting her from an imminent death.

 

Suddenly, the dresser slid across the floor, tumbling down onto the ground while shards of wood came bursting out of the door. Cassie turned away, screaming and covering her face from the flying debris. She felt as some of the pieces of wood grazed along her backside, scratching her, but not enough to leave anything permanent behind. She craned her head back to see the blade which occupied her front door only minutes ago, was now protruding towards her.

 

The sword, embedded into the wood as much as it was, started to shake awkwardly until it jolted out leaving a large hole high up in the door behind. She watched in horror as the man’s half orange-half black mask moved back into view, “You’re making this longer than it has to be. You do understand that?”

Cassie could only gulp in fear as the his face slowly moved away from the hole and began hacking away at the door again.

 

She glanced around the room to see her twin-sized bed in it’s usual dishevelment, articles of clothing randomly strung throughout the room, and other paraphernalia laying on the ground begging to either be stepped or tripped on. Her line of vision did however lead her to look towards her only salvation at the moment; her window leading to the fire escape.

 

The latch was already unlocked, sparing Cassie only a moment as the window was being stubborn to lift open. Her fear started to consume her even more, causing her hands to uncontrollably twitch as she shoved on the cill harder and harder. The sounds of her door literally being torn down behind her did not help with the situation either, but she kept pushing the window higher and higher till finally it cracked open.

 

Cassie slid the window just enough to force herself through the small opening she created, letting herself fall onto the floor of the fire escape just below. She jumped back up ready to get the hell out of Dodge. Her mind instantly went back to the window, making her turn back around slamming the window shut once more.

 

The small fire escape that was situated on her bedroom window was covered in a fine sheet of snow, hiding the thick layer of ice that the stairs had accumulated over the cold winter season. Cassie tried her best not to slip as she ran down them to the alley directly beneath her.

 

As she finished running down the first flight, her hand grabbed onto the guardrail, yanking herself onto the next level. She grasped both sides of the railing to swing herself over the last two steps as she began to lose the feeling in her feet. The situation did not help as her bare feet came into more contact with the crunchy white snow on top of the frozen flights of stairs. As if she didn’t need anymore reason to hate living on the top floor of her apartment building.

 

When she made it to the bottom of the fire escape, the ladder was raised up waiting for her to use. Yet right as Cassie frantically tried to push the ladder down, she neglected to notice that with the ladder being subjected freezing cold outside plus snow, it was frozen in its’ place.

 

Cassie’s anxiety crept over her spine again as she tried pushing the ladder down with her shivering hands, then stomping on the top rung to get it to move; to no avail. Jumping off the ladder came to her mind, but when she looked down to the bottom, she noticed that the drop was too far away from the ground for any safe landing to be guaranteed. She lifted her head back up the fire escape to see if the assassin was any closer to her, but the upper levels of stairs prevented her from seeing anything.

 

Four or five failed attempts at getting the ice holding up the ladder to break proved too many for Cassie to handle with a psychotic hitman right behind her.

 _“Screw it,”_ her mind screamed.

 

Throwing one of her legs over the side of ladder, the blonde started climbing down one step at a time, trying not to look down. Yet it was tricky to maneuver down as she no longer had any feeling left in her toes.

 

As she stood on the last rung, she peered over her shoulder to see that she was still too high up for a safe jump. But her peripheral vision caught a massive collection of garbage bags sitting up against the building and it’s dumpster.

“Why do I know that this is gonna hurt,” she groaned. She clutched her eyes closed and leapt off the ladder.

 

The world was blurry when Cassie opened her eyes again. Thankfully there was no ungodly bright light in her eyes, so she was given ample time to adjust to the dark. She cautiously rolled off of the mountain of garbage back down to the cold cement ground. Cassie knew that she could have gotten a concussion from the fall, so she wanted to take it easy for a moment. The soft snowflakes that fell around where she rested sparkled and shined in the low warm glow of an orange street light that stood nearby, granting Cassie a solid moment of peace. Realizing that she couldn’t just stay there though, she begrudgingly lifted herself up to her knees.

 

She raised herself up into a crouching position, just about ready to stand fully upright when a large object crashed right next to her, knocking her back down into the snow. Cassie’s gaze slowly turned back to whatever fell, revealing the hulking menace that she thought was far behind her.

 

Her mind scrambled to figure out what to do, just as her body scrambled to crawl away from his terrifying presence.

 

The masked man calmly strolled over toward the girl, his heavy boots not even making a sound when crunching against the snow covered ground, “Lucky shot you got there; putting me through that wall.”

“Yeah well, I’m trying to figure out how you jumped down four flights of stairs without breaking your legs.”

A sinister chuckle slithered from the assassin’s mask, followed by his arm reaching behind him to slide one of his sword’s from it’s resting place, “I guess we’re both full of surprises.”

 

The mere sight of blade’s near sparkling edge caused Cassie’s breath to get caught in the back of her throat. Her mind didn’t snap back to reality until her opponent stalked towards her, his weapon’s sharp tip skating along the bottom of the ground, cutting through the snow directly to the concrete beneath. It didn’t take her a moment to realize that their little game of cat and mouse was going to come to a swift and violent end for her, whether she liked it or not.

 

Her now frozen feet trembled as she clamored away from the masked man, her legs convulsing with pain. Yet her crawling away only encouraged the assassin to rush straight for her, grabbing at the roots her shining blonde hair.

 

He raised her up carelessly, lifting most of her body up into the air with the exception of her shins and bottom of her feet, which still laid limp in the snow.

 

Cassie clawed at him, trying to get him to let go of the hair that he was ripping out of her skull. Her pathetic attempts at escaping his grasp only left her looking as though she was a worm wriggling on a hook.

 

“I hate to end this,” he said, “But you’re cutting into my schedule.”

She slammed her eyes shut as he smashed the back of her head into the pavement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving this at a cliffhanger, hope you tolerated it.


	5. Player 2

_Washington D.C._

_February 18, 01:09 EST_

 

The phantom feeling of frozen ice brushing against hot skin stirred Cassie from her slumber. The chilly night air rubbing up against the few warm parts of her body that remained. She slowly rolled herself onto her side, only to have the inside of her head feel like free marbles rolling around.

 

Strange muffled noises that sounded human surrounded the girl. She couldn’t understand what was being said, only that whoever it was, must have a deep booming voice. Yet her mind was so clouded, their voice could have easily been heavily distorted.

 

A small dark shape moved past her closed eyes, as she could feel and hear the object cut through the wind right in front of her. Part of her feared that she was still in danger, but the rest of her remained unresponsive to her mind’s plea to get up.

 

Suddenly, a large gust of wind came up from behind her, knocking down something incredibly heavy right in front of her. Immediately after, she heard something clattering to the ground, creating a loud ringing sound. Cassie realized that it must have been something made of metal.

Her eyes began to peel open, letting images of blurry white shapes flood into her line of sight. The few objects that she could see clearly, created a throbbing pain in the back of her mind so intense that she was forced to lay back down on the ground with her hand resting up against her burning forehead.

 

After a few moments of rest, Cassie’s mind started re-adjusting to her cold surroundings. Her ears perked up upon the sounds of furious voices and fists brandishing against one another. She trudged herself up from the ground, bringing her shivering knees up to her chest, letting her eyes wander around the area in her hazy state, trying to let them focus in on the strange noises.

 

Two shadows moving in near perfect unison came into her sights, one tall and dark while the other was much smaller, with large hints of yellow flashing around as it moved against the other. The smaller of the two made small grunts of frustration and anger, trying to land a blow on the larger of them. Cassie’s gaze hardened on the bigger shadow as more and more details came back into clarity.

 

Dark blue, black, and orange covering most of it’s body, with a split colored mask adorning their face, with the exception of one eye. As they moved out of the shadows and closer into the light, she started to see long white hair tied up into a ponytail twirling around as the man danced around their opponent. The masked man.

 

Fear started to return to her, making her scoot further and further away towards the street behind her. She didn’t care if the other person who was now fighting him off was on her side or not, she just wanted to get away. Away from the man who tried to kill her more than once.

 

She quickly turned her back on the two and scuffled to her feet, desperate to escape. She didn’t realize that her assassin had caught sight of her trying to get away. In a blur of movement, he pushed his smaller adversary away from him and flung a small knife toward the blonde.

 

“NO,” screamed the other figure.

 

The figure promptly threw a small black object, letting it fly through the air knocking the object down.  

 

Cassie slowly turned around, her eyesight almost completely returned. The streetlight above her illuminated the alley enough for her to see her wannabe savior. A small, pale girl, whose face was covered in a black cowl with beautiful red hair peaking out of it. She was dressed in a black and grey suit with a black bat emblem smack dab in the middle of her chest.

 

The young blonde froze in her place, staring at the masked girl in pure shock. Her focus was so divulged into the girl who had just saved her life, that she didn’t notice that her would-be killer had pulled one of the pistols out of from his holder and began pointing it towards the red head.

 

The sudden urge to save the other girl brought Cassie back to reality, causing her to bolt towards the two.

 

As though the world was in slow motion, the man’s finger pulled on the trigger, letting brilliant sparks of red and orange light ignite around the bullet that was now roaring out of the barrell. Her eyes latched onto a garbage bin lid not a foot away from her. She grabbed the bin’s lid in a mad dash and propelled herself in between the bat and the hitman.

 

She tried shoving the other girl as hard as she could out of the bullet’s path, trying to use the lid as a temporary shield. Cassie’s mind flew with ideas of grabbing the girl and hauling ass to the next county, but at that moment the only thing coming into her mind was taking the lid and launching it directly at the masked man’s head. As good an idea as any in that moment, Cassie aimed her weapon at the man and was ready to chuck it.

 

The bullet was flying towards the blonde’s head when all of a sudden, a hand grabbed her by the arm and flung her out of the bullet’s reach, causing it to strike the brick wall behind her. Yet the pull did throw Cassie’s balance off just enough so that when she did hurl the lid, instead of hitting the assassin’s face, it slammed into his gun-wielding hand, disarming him.

 

Howls of pain erupted from the man, his other hand clutching at it’s injured mate. He had little time to react though, as a the other girl ran straight towards him. His near-lightning reflexes could not save him as the young woman’s boot came flying towards his face, coming into contact with the black half of his mask.

Instead of watching his body come tumbling down to the ground, the red head’s dark blue eyes turned to Cassie, drilling holes into her skull. Images from newspapers and television flickered in Cassie’s mind, making her quickly realize who she was with.

“Bat-girl?”

 

“The one and only,” she firmly retorted. “I’ll take care of him, and you get out of sight. Get somewhere safe. Got it?”

 

The blonde hardly realized that she was nodding her head feverishly, “Got it.”

 

With their agreement met, Cassie started towards the entry of the alleyway, folding her arms across her chest to try and warm herself up. She was done with this whole mess. A few deep breaths of air started to clear her mind up, calming her as she began running out a few feet towards the street. She knew that she was going to have to find somewhere close by since her apartment was a no go. Probably a friend’s house or something. She really didn’t want to explain what had just happened to her and her home though to any of her friends, so ideas of police stations or firehouses came to mind. But that would have meant even more questions. Not only about the incident that just occurred, but about her life in general. And it would all end up in the ears of her mother. She really didn’t want to know what her mother would have to say about what had transpired tonight. All the thoughts raging through Cassie’s mind made her realize that this was one of the worst nights of her life.

 

Yet in that moment, Cassie heard the one thing that would flat out declare this as worst night of her life; a gun’s hammer get cocked.

 

A meek sigh escaped from her lips as she felt her whole body stop moving. Her eyes widened to saucers staring out at nothing. _‘No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.’_. The word kept ringing in her head, if anything else had come into her mind, it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. Cassie felt as her feet shuffled around, making her face into the alley once again only this time, the gun which she had suspected was for her, was instead lock and loaded against the cranium of Batgirl.

 

Cassie scanned the young heroine in front of her, noticing that somehow her belt had been cut off of her suit and laying on the ground. The masked man’s free hand had the girl’s right arm locked behind her back holding it tight as though it was his lifeline.

 

“Try anything, and you’re friend loses her head,” he whispered pressing the gleaming silver handgun closer to the girl’s skin, immediately causing her to close her eyes in discomfort.

 

“No, please,” Cassie cried, “it’s me you want.”

 

“I didn’t want to do this, but with the runaround that you two have given me tonight, I won’t say that I’ll weep at the thought of either of your passings,” he scolded.

Cassie could feel the man’s anger and annoyance grow with every passing moment. She stood her ground though, unafraid and ready to deal with her fate.

 

Batgirl’s fists tightened at her sides, not only had she failed to see that her opponent was not unconscious when she knocked him down, and failed to stop him from getting a hold of her, and pointing a gun at her head, but now she was forced to be subjugated to him speak of her demise. Still, as much as she didn’t like having him point the gun at her head she would rather have that then have him aiming at the young blonde. Luckily though, she had a plan cooking up in her brain. All she needed was for his attention to be diverted from her for just a little bit longer.

 

The assassin slowly lifted the gun away from Batgirl’s head, while still keeping an iron grip on her wrist. Instead, he pointed it in between Cassie’s blue eyes.

 

“Any last words?” he uttered.

 

Cassie’s eyes drifted away from looking down the barrel of the gun, and into the gaze of Batgirl. The young hero stared at her with what at first seemed to be uncertainty, but then grew into an understanding of sorts. Whatever look was emblazoned on Cassie’s face, it must have been one of confidence and strength, as on her insides, she was feeling those two words grow as her fears of dying slowly faded away.

 

She couldn’t be sure what happened first, him firing the gun, Batgirl stomping on his foot, or time slowing down to the point that Cassie could witness the bullet come streaming out of the gun’s barrel. Still, Cassie didn’t care. Or her mind simply didn’t have enough time to tell her whether or not to care.

 

The things that Cassie assumed was sparks from the gun ignited in an exuberant bouquet of reds, yellows, oranges, and even hints of greens and pinks. They bloomed beautifully against the bullet that was inching it’s way towards Cassie’s head. The odd sense of deja vu overwhelmed her senses. The blonde closed her eyes, inhaling two deep breaths, trying to establish an inner calmness to help give her strength. After what felt like hours to her, which were not even seconds in real time, Cassie’s eyes opened, revealing that the bullet was now only a few inches away from her face. Without hesitation, she swept alongside the bullet, out of it’s trajectory, and ran directly towards her attacker.

 

As she sprinted towards the man who had tried to shoot her, time started back up to it’s rightful speed. Cassie saw Batgirl stomp on the man’s foot after he fired the gun, which promptly led her to swiftly elbow him in his sternum and upper chest. The effect of Batgirl’s efforts made his body slouch down in protection of what body parts were just hit, giving Batgirl ample time to release her other arm from his clutches, and disarm the pistol he held.

 

Cassie quickly came between the two, grabbing him by the throat, somewhat pushing and dragging him away from the other girl and further into the alley. His attempts to punch and kick at her were futile, as she had lost almost all sensation in her body. The only thing that she could feel was her fingers bruising his neck, and an overwhelming sense of anger.

 

She finally stopped running when she saw him grapple with another knife hidden away in his belt. The grip that her fingers had tightened around his neck only a little, but it was enough to cause him to let out a small gagging noise that obviously meant that he was running out of air. Using her other arm, she took ahold of the man’s armor that was covering his chest, and raised him up high above her own head. The man seized his window of opportunity by slicing at the girl’s arm once or twice, but that was all he got. Cassie took his body into her hands and slammed him into the snow covered concrete. Not enough for her though, she knelt down gathering his armour with her fist bringing his head closer to her own, and in her greatest fit of rage, brought her fist down letting it collide with his mask.

 

A monumental number of cracks appeared all over the black and orange mask, but Cassie didn’t get a good look at it as within moments, the protective shell concealing the man’s identity shattered. Cassie looked down in query as the man beneath was revealed to be no more than an older caucasian gentleman, sporting a dark eyepatch over his right eye. The full blown beard that covered his face was a pure stark white, in matching fashion to his long white ponytail.

 

A strange feeling came over Cassie then. A surgence of power and courage overwhelmed her senses. A dark but quiet part of her mind whispered to her, _“Go on, take him out. He’s wounded. You know you can hurt him. Make him feel every ounce of pain and fear that he’s bestowed onto you.”_

 

Her fist rose up again, but only to be caught by a long, gloved hand.

 

Cassie’s gaze shifted to Batgirl’s face, which almost looked as though she knew exactly what was running through her mind.

 

“That’s not how we do things,” she sternly indicated. “He’s down. We’ve won.”

 

Only then did Cassie realize that her last hit literally was a knock out. Down on the ground laid the man who had caused her so much grief over the whole evening. His eyes- better yet, his eye was sealed shut with a grimacing and in-pain look underneath it. He was motionless, he was defeated.

 

Her hand quickly slipped from the heroine’s grasp, which made Cassie quickly take hold of her wrist, stroking it as though Batgirl’s intervention hurt more than the actual punch. “Who was that?”

 

“Deathstroke,” Batgirl murmured, “they call him the Terminator.” She padded over towards the entrance of the alleyway leaving Cassie standing alone, rubbing the edge of her wrist as delicately as she could.

 

Batgirl’s attention shifted to Cassie’s wrist just as soon as she began coddling it, “Did that hurt?”

Cassie looked up, “What?”

 

“The punch,” she replied, “Did punching him hurt?”

 

She only took a moment to ponder the question, leading her to shake her head rapidly in disagreement, “No, not at- HEY!”

 

Batgirl turned to see that the beaten man had vanished. The shattered remains of his mask were left behind, but no other trace of him being there was evident. The quiet sound of a chain-link fence rattled far away, too far for Batgirl to pinpoint broke the silence, but was gone only a moment later. Which was just perfect in Batgirl’s opinion. First she was tricked by him, then let him take her captive and remove her utility belt, and now she let him escape. This was definitely not her night.

 

As Batgirl silently walked over to where her torn utility belt laid, Cassie looked down once more at her hand. She turned it over and over looking at both sides to see if there was any bruising or discoloration, but there was none. She only paused her menstruations to see if the hand or it’s digits were shaking from the amount of contact they had. Yet once again, nothing.

She felt completely fine.

* * *

 

 

_Western Mongolia_

_February 18, 01:34 ICT_

 

Slade Wilson calmly strode towards the series of large holographic televisions surrounding the conference room. Many of the screens had come back to life from their sleep as he walked towards the other end of the room. As he grew closer to the central screen, the screens that were closest to it switched on, letting Slade see the faces of Lex Luthor, Queen Bee, The Brain, and Ra’s al Ghul.

 

The central monitor flickered a few times, before letting the already imposing figure of Vandal Savage flash onto the the massive screen. “Welcome, Deathstroke. We have heard that your mission earlier this evening was evidently, a failure. We were concerned that you were captured.”

 

Slade cringed at the word failure. He wasn’t just some street punk who did menial errand boy gigs. He was a professional. “I was told that this was a simple mission. Find the girl and _take care_ of her. No one told me that the child would be so much trouble or that she was in league with our favorite young _heroes_.” Slade’s resentment towards the team became too clear with the last part of his statement.

 

“None of that matters to us,” Queen Bee spoke up, “We expected success, which was not delivered. It was grievous to us that you couldn’t finish the job. We assumed that you could handle it.”

Slade felt that sudden itch of anger come over him, disgust at their attempts to get him to lash out at them. As well as he could mask his emotions, he could not hide all his frustration from the Light, especially from Lex Luthor.

 

Sensing the hostility growing, Lex interrupted, “The mission was a lapse in our better judgement. The death of a teenager would have gained us nothing. Just the knowledge that we hurt a low-level archeologist who is now no longer of any consequence,” Slade’s anger simmered down as Luthor continued, “Erase this task from your memories Deathstroke, as we will erase it from ours.”

 

Slade nodded his head in reassurance, “Anything else?”

 

“No,” said Savage. “We have everything we need.”


	6. Reunions

_Washington D.C._

_February 18, 02:03 ETC_

 

Cassie stared down at her right hand, inspecting every last inch of skin spanning the appendage, even though it was only a few minutes after the attack on her life, there should have been bruising, or some hint that she had just brawled with a man way over her weight limit. Yet her digits moved without any pain, and the only sign that she faced a discrepancy was a tad bit of dark snowy sludge underneath her fingernails. Her mind only drifted back to where she was when she felt the sting of a needle run through her arm.

 

“Ow,” she whimpered. Batgirl’s skills at stitching up the two cuts along Cassie’s arm felt amateur at best. The other girl paid no mind to her protest, continuing on with the patch job.

 

“Don’t whine, we’re almost done,” Batgirl’s eyes quickly flared up at Cassie only to return back to her work. Barbara couldn’t help the curiosity that ran through her mind as she started to seal up the small lesions. “You took the cuts without any complaint, I didn’t think that the stitches would hurt as much.”

 

Cassie stared down at the girl, her face expressing less than enthusiasm at her remark, “That was when I was running high off adrenaline. Now I- OW!”

 

“Don’t be such a baby,” Batgirl quietly quipped. She reached around to the back of her utility belt where she kept a small first-aid kit. The basics; needle, thread, scissors, gauze, band-aids, and good old hydrogen-peroxide. She took hold of the scissors and snipped the ends of the thread, closing up the minor wounds. “There. That wasn’t so bad.”

 

While putting away her tools, Barbara snatched a glance at Cassie, watching her as she slowly laid back against the couch, her bandaged arm strung across her face covering her eyes. The little blonde fascinated Barbara to no end. No one survived an encounter with Deathstroke; _no one_. Not only did she survive, but she took him down. She didn’t even need too much medical attention. That’s what really got to Barbara though.

 

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she rose up from the coffee table she was sitting on, placing the last few pieces of her equipment back where they belonged. She didn’t watch as Cassie shifted in her seat rubbing her covered wrist tenderly. Barbara swiftly made her way across the room to the windows overlooking the city streets. The snow had finally stopped falling, leaving the outside world blanketed in white.

 

Cassie turned towards her and quietly asked, “Now what? We call the police?”

 

Barbara’s gaze stayed plastered to the window, “No.”

 

One of the blonde’s eyebrows scrunched upwards into a quizzical position, hiding none of the confusion that she felt deep within, “No? What do you mean no? I was attacked, shouldn’t someone do something?”

 

Barbara ignored the girl’s statement instead opting to open the window she was in front of, letting copious amounts of wind fly into the room.

 

Cassie shuttered at the feeling of cold wind against her skin, her body had not fully recovered from her adventure outside so the return of goosebumps and shivering were not appreciated. She was still in awe that Batgirl had come to her rescue, but she did not expect one of her idols to outright ignore her and her questions. “Look, not that I’m not grateful for what you did, believe me I am, but we can’t just sit here. We should, you know, go somewhere safe.”

 

“We will,” Barbara quickly muttered, “For now, just be patient.”

 

Cassie’s annoyance burned deep beneath her skin. She bowed her head to hide the clear look of anger bubbling up to the surface. Barbara sensed that what she had just said might have come off a little rude. In the back of her mind she swore she heard Dick say, ‘ _Guess old Bats is rubbing off on you too Babs.’._ She realized her error and turned back to the young girl sitting down.

 

“I know today has been hard for you, but you do need to stay here for just a little while longer. Nothing bad is going to happen to you I promise.”

 

 _“Nothing bad is going to happen to you Cass. I promise.”_. The same promise the boy wonder made earlier that night rang in Cassie’s head. He made her feel safe and secure, but he was gone now. Sure she had Batgirl watching over her, but she nearly lost her life when that man Deathstroke came crashing through her door. Where was Robin when she needed him? The thoughts running through her mind made Cassie close her eyes in fear, images of the night’s antics disrupted her thoughts though making her unaware of the bright beam of light outside her window. She only noticed when the light’s gleam shone right in her eyes, forcing her to shield herself with her arms. Yet just as soon as Cassie’s eyes were protected, the light raised above her and vanished above the window.

 

Barbara followed the light as it disappeared above her, “Looks like we have company.”

 

Cassie turned towards her new friend, “What? Who are you talk-” before she could finish, an enormous gust of wind blew around the two, knocking Cassie back a few feet from the blast. The blonde then felt Barbara’s hand latch onto her own and pull her out of the apartment’s front door, through the hallway and up the building’s stairwell up to the roof.

 

Returning to the frozen outside was not one of Cassie’s desires that night, but after everything that happened, she did not have the strength to pull Batgirl’s hand away from her wrist as she dragged her out onto the building’s rooftop. The girl’s interest peaked as she stepped through the rooftop’s entrance and back into the ink black night, only to see an empty area surrounded by the sounds of the city. Cassie scoured the roof, looking around for who or what Batgirl brought her up to meet, but there was nothing to look at. The cleared off area seemed utterly normal. The only thing that seemed to grab at her attention was the parts of the ground where snow was not present while other areas looked as though they were untouched. Cassie looked over to other buildings neighboring her home, only to see that every inch of their roofs were encased in snow almost a foot deep.

 

While she stood by lost in thought, the wind rose up against her causing her thin pajamas to bellow in the cold. The feeling of a warm glove resting on her shoulder drew Cassie’s attention towards the masked redhead. “I’d take a few steps back,” she said drawing the girl back towards the entrance of the roof. As the two moved further and further away, a flicker of moonlight reflected off of something that Cassie was having a hard time seeing. The moon’s light created a reflection in the dead center of the roof, but high enough in the air that it made the girl crane her head up to look upon it. After staring at the mirroring moon for a long period of time, she started noticing curves of glossy material hovering above the ground. _“What the-_ ” before her mind could finish its sentence, the almost invisible object created mass turrets of wind blowing in every direction as it descended to the floor below.

 

Cassie watched in wonder as the object’s camouflage melted away, revealing a small red ship whose design was foreign to her. The way it faced gave Cassie the impression that it’s back was sitting towards her, as there was no windows from the angle she was looking at, only a large indentation of what looked to be a door.

 

That proved to be correct as the crevice dissolved into a ramp extending down from the ship to the ground beneath it. The mysterious and fantastic vehicle did stun Cassie’s mind for a moment, but what caught the very air in her lungs was the tall frame of her mother resting up against the ship’s interior alongside Robin the boy wonder.

 

The sight of her mother brought a few tears to the girl’s eyes, the rest of her body remained frozen in it’s place. As her mother cautiously stepped down the ramp though, Cassie was able to whisper with relief and joy, “ _Mom._ ”. The slip of the word from her lips must have given her body the strength it needed to carry itself toward Dr. Sandsmark, breaking into a sprint in the last few feet till the young girl crashed into her mother, wrapping her arms into a constricting hold on the woman.

 

Tears staining the clothes that her mother was wearing were the least of Cassie’s worries. The only item that Cassie recognized as it erupted from her body was the pure unbridled joy of her mother’s return. Her mother returned the sentiment as tears streamed from her own eyes onto the much shorter girl’s head.

 

“Cassie,” Helena almost cried out. Cassie clung to her mother even tighter than before, not letting a millimeter of space come between them. She felt as her mother started to stroke her back and the ends of her tangled blonde hair, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I should never have left.”

 

The blonde, choked back on her own tears, “You had to go mom, it’s your job.”

 

Her mother quickly answered, “Well I’ll never leave again.”

 

Laughter burst from Cassie’s lips, even though most of the sound was caught up in the smothering hold her she had on her mother, “We both know you can’t keep that promise.”

 

The two’s happiness was rudely interrupted though by one of the masked crusaders clearing their throat in a loud manner. The mother and daughter begrudgingly parted to look upon the others, seeing that the caped boy had walked over to stand next to his cohort.

 

“We should get inside,” Robin quietly noted.


	7. Farewells

_Washington D.C._

_February 18, 02:36 ETC_

 

Helena ransacked the kitchen looking for the box full of tea bags she had hidden a few weeks before she left for Olympia. But at that moment the box was nowhere to be found. “Cassandra, where’s the tea?” The doctor didn’t realize that as she was tearing the cabinets apart looking for the box, her hands had begun to tremble. “Cassandra,” Helena yelled while her panic set in, “Where’s the-” she paused her sentence as her wanderings around the room almost caused her to crash into her daughter standing in the doorway.

 

Cassie gazed down upon her mother’s jittering fingers before taking them into her own, “It’s okay mom, I’ll find it.”

 

With a few caresses to her mother’s enclosed hands, Cassie withdrew from her and walked over towards the counter. The girl took one look at the counter before reaching out towards a pile of papers her mother threw around while searching aimlessly for her tea. Moving a few of the pieces revealed a small black tin box with gold etchings entitled, “ _Tea_ ”.

Cassie took hold of the box before raising it towards her mother, shaking the contents for an extra measure, “Look familiar?”

The older woman snatched the box away, giving a mocking grimace at her daughter while walking over to the mug of warm water she had laid out moments before.

 

The two rejoined their guests in the other room. Batgirl standing in front of the television screen against the wall while Robin had taken it upon himself to rest up against the windowsill, his arms crossed and head pointed downward.

 

Both Helena and Cassie sat down on the couch, Helena’s still shaking hands clasped onto her mug. Cassie reached out and placed her hand onto her arm.

 

The doctor quietly asked, “Are you sure there’s nothing I can get either of you?”

 

Barbara shook her head, “No, I’m alright.”The boy standing across from her shook his head in agreement without uttering a word.

 

“Alright then,” Helena muttered under her breath.

 

An odd sense of awkward hung in the air above the four, all of them looking down at themselves, avoiding any form of eye contact with one another. Cassie felt as though she had to say something. Yet her curiosity made her eyes drift across the room towards the young teenaged lounging against her window, her eyes became caught in the white lenses hiding his own eyes. Cassie stared for so long, the object of her focus turned his eyes towards her. She immediately threw her head back down to it’s original placement, but not before she saw the raven haired boy do the exact same. All the while a light pink blush came upon both kid’s cheeks. Any nerve that Cassie had at saying something was lost.

 

Luckily, Helena Sandsmark was not on the same page. “If you don’t mind my asking, why are we just sitting here?”

 

Batgirl spoke up, “We’re here till we receive word that the two of you are safe and won’t need our protection. After what happened to your daughter immediately after we left, we’re not taking any unnecessary risks again.”

 

The last part of Batgirl’s answer did interest Helena, causing her to turn and face Cassie, “What is she talking about?”

 

The sudden attention that was cast on the blonde caused her to bind her hands together, fidgeting in fear of what she needed to say. Cassie raised her head towards the trio staring at her in worry. Clearing her throat, she spoke up, “Well...earlier there was a guy who came here and…” Helena motioned for her daughter to continue, “Mom...he tried to kill me. But it’s okay I fought him off and got away.”

 

The last part of the girl’s statement didn’t stop her mother from rising from her chair and scream at the others in the room, “YOU LET SOMEONE TRY TO KILL MY DAUGHTER?!”

 

Robin and Batgirl followed in rising from their places to take a defensive stand against Dr. Sandsmark, “We didn’t think that your daughter would be a target,” Batgirl stated before Helena stopped her from saying anything else.

 

“If someone is kidnapped you should make sure that their family is not in danger as well!” Helena stomped over towards Batgirl, coming not a centimeter away from her masked face.

 

Cassie and Robin slid between the two both trying their best to pull their counterparts away from each other. While the young girl pushed her mother towards the windows, Robin had pulled Barbara to the mouth of the hallway. Cassie brought her hands to her mother’s face, holding on tight while trying to ease her mind, “Mom, look at me! Look at me! I’m fine, I’m okay.”

 

Helena’s intense gaze melted away as she stared back into her daughter’s eyes. Cassie’s gentle hands stroking her face brought her back from her blind rage. In that moment, Helena realized that up until a few hours ago, she was in danger. Her daughter was in danger. Both of them could have lost their lives without ever seeing the other. A flood of emotion struck Helena, making her take Cassie into her arms without a moment’s hesitation. Tears welling up in both of their eyes as the stood clinging to one another.

 

“I’m just glad you’re alright,” Helena whispered into the crown of her daughter’s head. “I was afraid...I was so afraid.”

 

Cassie peeled herself out of her mother’s embrace, “I know. I was too,” a few tears slipped down her face causing her to wipe them off with the back of her hand. “But I’m okay. And so are you and that’s all that matters mom.”

The mutual confession gave the two the comfort and closure they needed. Cassie began to laugh as her mother smiled at her, wrapping her arms around her once more.

 

A voice suddenly spoke up, “Um...Cassie?”

 

Cassie refused to answer the question, wanting to let the hold her mother had on her to last a few more moments. Yet a loud cough coming from the hallway made the girl lift her head from her mother’s shoulders and turn towards the other pair in the room.

 

Batgirl’s hard stare shifted from the blonde as her gloved hand rose through the air and pointed down the hallway, “Is that new?”

 

The statement got Helena’s attention as she began to move away from Cassie into the direction where the masked girl was pointing. Cassie followed behind her as they made their way past Robin and Batgirl and down the hall to the wall in front of Helena’s bedroom, which had been given the lovely addition of a gaping hole.

 

The blonde’s eyes were fixed on her mother’s, who’s in turn were stuck on the enormous hole that had taken out half of the wall. The mixture of shock and utter terror glued onto Helena’s face gave Cassie the reassurance that she should remain silent about the exact details of her attack.

 

A distinct male voice quietly inquired, “Did he do this to you?”

 

Cassie was confused for a moment, as she was sure that her mother would have asked the question, but her mouth was hanging wide open. Cassie turned to look at Robin, whose face reflected her mother’s in a way, but was a little more reserved.

 

He asked her again, “Did he do this to you?”

 

She began to shake her head, “No, I punched him through it.”

 

Her answer made all three’s eyes nearly bulge from their sockets. The crypt-like silence that fell between them made Cassie more anxious by the second.

 

Batgirl was the first to break the silence, “What?”

 

“Sorry-I kicked him _and then_ I punched him,” Cassie explained. The look of utter confusion still plastered on all of their faces. “ _Then_ he went through the wall.”

 

Batgirl nodded her head in a low rhythm, as if to poorly say that she understood was Cassie was saying. She took the arm of her colleague and whispered, “Robin could I talk to you for a minute?” Her gaze never leaving Cassie’s. Robin nodded and let the redhead drag him away from the hallway.

Cassie turned back, facing her petrified mother who looked as though she was ready to have a heart attack.

 

She couldn’t help but feel strange about him. Not about what he asked, but how he asked it.

Fear was the feeling that was felt as the boy questioned her. There was something else though. Some underlying emotion beyond concern or worry that touched something deep within Cassie. _Tenderness_.

 

Barbara threw Tim to the side of the room near the windows, muttering at an impressive speed and quietness, “You didn’t tell me that she could obliterate a wall.”

 

“I didn’t know she could,” Tim rebutted just as fast. He looked back down the hallway as if to catch a glimpse of her, but he could not see her.

 

Barbara pulled at Tim’s face, yanking him back to look into her eyes. “Tim, I cleaned up her wounds after her fight with Deathstroke. She had a few cuts on her arm and that was it. No bruising, no discoloration, nothing.” She pointed her fingers towards the hallway again, “We saw the wall. I saw her destroy Deathstroke’s mask with a single blow.”

 

Tim stood in silence as Barbara’s words sunk into his skin. _‘What does it mean?’_ , he thought to himself. Bruce didn’t tell him that there was anything special about Cassie, nor did Helena mention anything odd about her.

 

He turned his head to gaze back down at the hallway only for Barbara to place her hand on his shoulder and say, “We have to tell Batman.”

* * *

 

_Washington D.C._

_February 18, 06:57 ETC_

 

Most of the group found themselves back on the apartment’s rooftop before the night was out. Cassie was not one of them, as she chose to remain in the apartment and warm herself up.

 

Robin sat in silence on the building's ledge waiting for the sunrise. Barbara and Helena, a few feet away, were locked in a heated discussion on Apuleius’s _The Golden Ass_. When Barbara said she was going back up to the roof to send a clear transmission to Batman, Helena asked if she could go along. The redhead saw the older woman had grabbed the novel and inquired her thoughts on it. The fact that someone younger than her had read the story and enjoyed it almost made Helena cry. The two were talking about it for so long Cassie began to worry that her mother might catch a cold from standing outside for so long.

 

Cassie grabbed a few blankets and a mug full of hot coffee and made her way up to the rooftop. She stopped two or three steps outside in the cold air, looking out to the other end of the building where her mother and Batgirl stood. She realized that her mother and Batgirl were too involved in their conversation to notice her. Her attention then ran to the teenage boy hunched over the edge of the roof looking out into the city. It was almost adorable how he looked with his knees brushing under his chin, his black and yellow cape bellowing in the open air.

 

Being as quiet as she could, she tread her way to the boy, hoping not to spook him. However there was a small part of her that wanted to scare the daylights out of him just for the fun of it.

 

She slowed herself down to a sluggish tempo as she was only a few feet away from him. As she opened her mouth to give out a yell, the raven haired teen uttered, “That’s not going to work.”

 

Frustration overtook Cassie, making her scream, “I almost had you!”

 

Robin’s head rolled over to her, his mask not hiding the ‘yeah right’ look sitting prominent on his face. “I heard you coming up the stairs.”

 

Cassie huffed, moving around to the boy’s side stomping the whole way. “Well I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you had super hearing.”

 

Tim watched as the girl set down the few blankets and mug she was carrying close to him. She then backed herself up against the roof’s ledge, using her hands to push herself onto the ledge. Her back facing the direction which Tim was looking out to. She reached over for her coffee, placing it in between her legs.

 

He leaned over towards her, “For future reference, try not to stomp on every step if you’re going to sneak up on someone.”

 

Cassie’s smile radiated brilliance as she looked down, fiddling with the steaming hot coffee mug sitting in her lap. “Oh, I almost forgot,” Cassie said as she grabbed one of the blankets sitting next to her and shoved it towards Tim. “I thought you guys might freeze up here.”

 

Tim looked down at the red plaid blanket she was offering, “No thank you. I’m okay.” He turned back to face out towards the steadfast horizon. He couldn’t see, but he felt as her arm lowered and returned to her side.

 

The night air blew against the pair as they sat in silence, a false sense of contentment hiding how the two felt in reality.

 

She took in a deep breath before asking, “So, when are you leaving?”

“Just after sunrise,” Tim responded in his typical quiet demeanor. He looked over to her, catching only a glimpse at her beautiful blue eyes.

 

The girl nodded her head, looking towards the odd red ship that her new friends had arrived on. Her eyes glided over every detail of the ship, which she was guessing was of alien origin. The sleek red and black curves along the wings, the small door at the back of the triangular ship hiding the cargo bay. In Cassie’s opinion, it looked kinda cute. She wrapped herself up into the blanket she had offered to Robin, trying to hide her freezing nose into the warmth of the flannel.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Tim noticed that instead of being angry with the news, she was sad. Completely different that what he expected. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he was too afraid of what the answer might be.

 

Tim watched the girl while she was looking away, her crazy blonde bangs were getting into her eyes, though she didn’t seem to mind. His focus drifted down towards where her fingers were poking out of the blanket wrapped around her. He was transfixed by the small and almost dainty digits that Barbara had told him about. _“No bruising, no discoloration, nothing.”_

 

“Is that you’re ship?”

 

A quick jolt of reality slapped Tim across the face, “What?”

 

Cassie looked at him with a sliver of confusion, “The ship. Is it yours?”

 

Tim looked back and forth between her and the bioship finally coming back to his senses, “Oh. No, no. The ship’s...I...borrowed it. From a friend.”

 

Cassie smiled, “From Batman?”

 

A small chuckle burst from Tim’s lips, “No. Um... a different friend,” The girl scanned the vessel up and down before Tim could continue. “It’s called the Bioship. It’s a living organism working as a space ship.”

 

She looked on in wonder, “Amazing.”

 

“Yeah,” Tim whispered, his eyes falling back to rest on the awe overtaking Cassie’s face.

 

The blonde brought her head out of the blanket to look at him, a genuine smile etched onto her face, “You ever gonna come back here and visit me?”

 

 _“Oh,”_ he thought. How could he answer her without hurting her feelings? He began to open his mouth to speak- “It’s time to go.”

 

The pair whipped their heads to see Barbara standing a few feet away from them. “Batman called us back,” The redhead turned her attention to Cassie, “You should be alright.”

 

“Right,” Tim declared, hiding his true unhappiness behind his statement.

 

As he hopped down from the ledge, he noticed Cassie had as well. The pair looked at each other with unsure emotions. He knew that he would never see her again, not as Robin and definitely not as Tim Drake. Still, he wanted to.

 

“Well, I-I guess this is goodbye,” he murmured in a hushed tone.

 

The girl standing opposite of him nodded, “I guess so.” Though awkward, she raised her hand up, prompting him to shake it and for them to part as equals. He raised his, clasping it with hers, “It was nice meeting you, Robin.”

 

“You too,” his voice almost cracking. He had kept his volume low enough that he hoped she didn’t hear it. She let go of his hand, letting it fall back down at her side. Her mother jumped between them, putting her arm around her daughter’s shoulder.

 

“Thank you, for everything that you’ve done. Both of you,” Helena said looked at Barbara and Tim both.

He nodded once again, keeping his eyes down even though they were hidden behind his mask. He looked over towards his friend, seeing that she was beginning to walk back to the Bioship. Tim followed Barbara in suit as they walked back to the Bioship’s cargo door. The ship’s back transformed from a wall into a ramp before the young heroes feet.

 

Barbara strutted up the ramp to the pilot’s seat to get ready for take off. Tim trudged his way up before he heard Cassie say, “You didn’t answer my question.” He turned back to see her standing at the bottom of the bank, staring up at him wide-eyed and hopeful.

 

Cassie was terrified. She thought was well prepared for Batgirl and Robin to leave, as she would have given anything for this night to be over. Yet as she watched the two enter their ship and leave, she couldn’t bear it. She broke free from her mother’s grip and ran back to him before he had a chance to close the ship’s door. “You didn’t answer my question.”

 

She watched in panic as he began to walk down the ramp, his face placid. He stopped his movements just a step above the end of the walkway, his mask looking at her.

 

Afraid to say anything, he made the first move by reaching his hand back into the back of his utility belt, pulling out a small white earbud. “Here,” he whispered as he took one of her hands, placing it into her palm. “If you’re ever in trouble just hit the button on it’s side okay?”

 

Cassie tried to look down at the little headpiece he had given her, but he covered her hand with his gloved ones trying to keep what he gave to her a secret. “Use it only when you’re in trouble. Okay?”

 

Shaking her head, she whispered to him, “You will come back right?”

 

He looked at her with a pained expression, “I’ll try.” Without another word, he retreated back up to the ship, letting Cassie catch one last glimpse of his face before the ramp morphed back into the ship’s wall.

 

Wind began to pick up the moment the door closed, forcing Cassie to take a few steps back as the ship roared to life. The remnants of snow that laid on the roof’s floor spun around as the ship rose up into the air. Helena’s hands found their way back onto Cassie’s shoulders as the two watched the ship hovered in the air, and then by some miracle, turned invisible. The two knew that the ship was still present as they could still hear it. Yet as the sun slipped over the horizon, the ship disappeared.


	8. No News

_ Mount Justice _

_ February 18, 10:17 EST _

 

Tim watched as the holoscreen vanished, along with the image of his mentor. The boy turned to look around at his friends who had begun to walk back to their respected rooms.  _ Get some rest _ , yeah right. Tula- no.  _ Aquagirl _ , was gone. Sacrificed herself for the greater good while leaving everyone she loved behind. 

 

He should be mad at Batman. His response was too collected;  _ “It is not the first loss we have suffered, nor will it be the last.” _

 

That was it.  _ Pick up and move on.  _ It didn’t matter how any of the team felt. It’s just what needed to be done. He had been around Batman long enough to know that his words, though course, we not out of disinterest. Rather the opposite. Still, Tim always hoped that Bruce had the ability to prove his empathy better. 

 

No; he shouldn’t be mad at Bruce. He had been in this for most of his life, he had seen people come and go long before Tim ever picked up a bo staff.

 

His revels were broken by the passing figures of Artemis and Kid Flash. The two clutching onto one another in grief. He couldn’t help but stare as Artemis rested her head on Wally’s shoulder, while he in turn placed his head on top of hers. Tim couldn’t fathom the depths of the pair's feelings. That or he just didn’t want to entertain the idea of losing someone he loves. He had already been down that road before. 

 

They disappeared into one of their rooms as Tim was too lost in thought to notice. He didn’t even see that he had begun to wander down the hallway leading to the kitchen. It took a large sturdy hand to grab him by the shoulder before he snapped back to his senses.

 

He spun around, finding a disheveled Nightwing looking down on him. The proud smile painted onto his face could make anyone believe that he was alright. Yet Tim wasn’t just anyone. He easily noticed that Dick was just as upset as he was. He’d never show it of course.

 

“Hey, you doing okay?” Dick asked.

 

Tim hastily nodded, “Yeah.”  _ Lie. _ He should have known better than to prevaricate to his predecessor, but Bruce wouldn’t want him to talk about things that he could just keep to himself. 

 

“You sure?” the older boy further pushing inquiries.

 

“Yes.”  _ Lie _ . 

 

“I heard about what you and Barbara did for Dr. Sandsmark,” Dick murmured. “You did a good thing for her and her daughter.”

 

Tim shrugged at the compliment, “Thanks. But if you’re going to thank anyone for tonight you should thank Barbara.”

 

“Oh I plan to,” quipped Dick. A coy smile- more like a cocky smirk, crept onto his face. “Later though. I wanted to make sure you’re alright. And if you got any information from Dr. Sandsmark’s daughter.”

 

Tim hid his face from Dick’s line of vision, “Batman would have briefed you if she told us anything.” The youth began to walk back towards the training room, his fist clenching up with every step.

 

Dick once again took hold of the boy’s shoulder, only this time it was harder. He swung his little brother around, leaning down to look him in the eye, “Batman told me everything he knew; but not everything you knew.”

 

The question made the smaller hero’s head sink lower, his eyesight focused only on the ground. 

 

Dick would not take that as an answer, and in a worried tone, whispered, “Tim, what’s going on?”

 

A hush fell between the two. Not only from the fear and sadness that Tim’s face was plainly showing, but from the bated worry that was radiating off of Dick. The two had what you would call, a loving relationship. Yet there was always an unspoken line of space between them. Nightwing would keep secrets from Robin, and Robin could always trust Nightwing, but his allegiance would always belong to Batman. No matter how much the two tried to have a deep brotherly bond, there would always be a little mystery keeping the two at a distance.

 

Dick still wouldn’t tell Tim what happened to his immediate predecessor. 

 

Tim took in a deep breath before he could answer his mentor, “The girl; Cassie Sandsmark. We think that there’s more to her story that being a lowly archaeologist's daughter.”

 

Dick nodded, allowing the teen to go on, “Batman told you that Cassie was attacked, right?” Dick nodded again. “Deathstroke was sent to...hurt Cassie, but Barbara intervened. After Deathstroke disappeared and I arrived with Dr. Sandsmark, Barbara found a hole that Cassie had punched Deathstroke through. _She punched_ **_Deathstroke_** _through a wall_.”

 

A combination of confusion and concern swept across Dick’s face. An expression not dissimilar to the look Tim must have worn when Cassie explained the same story. Tim continued on none the less, “Barbara later told me that she saw Cassie knock him out with one punch. After all the trouble she went through earlier just to stay alive. And the weirdest part, Barbara looked her up and down, all she needed was a couple of stitches.”

As his words began to settle in, Dick stood silently pondering what all this could mean. Meanwhile, Tim just stood, being as patient as he could be while the other masked hero paced back and forth, his hand up to his chin in reflection. 

 

He stopped in his tracks after a few minutes. Turning back to his cohort, he spoke confidently, “Does Batman know about this?” Tim shook his head.

 

“Barbara was going to tell him, but after Aquagirl…” Tim’s voice grew low at the mention of his fallen friend.

 

Dick nodded and continued, “We have to tell him, and maybe the entire League. If she turns out to be a metahuman, then she can be a great danger to herself and everyone around her if she doesn’t get help.”

 

Tim nodded in agreement, letting Dick march off back down the hallway to the main part of the cave. He took a moment to breathe in, trying to relax himself. If anything, Bruce was right about him getting some sleep.

* * *

 

As his room’s door slide open, Tim gazed at the near minimalist furniture that decorated the room. The deep red twin XL, sitting in the middle of the room, was the only major article seen. Beyond a little black chair pushed up against a desk that was criminally organized. A small lap and a few extra suits sitting on coat hangers in the closet were the only objects telling people that someone actually lived here, or at least stopped by once in awhile.

 

The young man pulled away at his tight black gloves as he crossed the threshold. Revealing his pale, clammy hands that were in desperate need of moisturizer. He tugged off his cape, laying it on one of the empty wire hangers hidden away in the closet. His boots and utility belt would be the last to go, as he was accustomed to sleeping in the rest of his ensemble, including his mask. 

 

Tim crashed into the bed, letting the soft mattress absorb his weight. Closing his eyes, Tim reached into one of the pockets of his utility belt, and pulled out a small earpiece, whose mate was given away to the brave and spunky blonde the boy had only met the previous night. As he laid on his bed, trying to slip into unconsciousness, he rolled the little device around in the palm of his hand, letting its smooth surface become acquainted with the rough texture of his naked hands. 

 

Images of the beautiful blonde flashed in Tim’s mind. The thoughts of her crazy hair dancing gracefully in the wind alongside falling snow were faint, but still potent. Her bright blue eyes, piercing underneath the choppy bangs that fluttered across her face. A slight pink blush matching her lips rising on her cheeks.

 

A melancholy smile brushed against him, only for it to die as his eyes drifted, and sleep claimed him.

* * *

 

_ Themyscira _

_ February 18, 22:34 EEST _

 

Many of the torches on Themyscira were beginning to be put out as most of the inhabitants of the island were preparing for sleep. Another grand feast had left Diana overly exhausted. Too much wine and honey mead for dinner. Then her friends Philippus and Artemis decided that singing at their loudest register was a fantastic idea. Thankfully Queen Hippolyta was off attending to other business and not watching her daughter be roped into the insanity of her fellow sisters.

 

Diana entered her room, pulling back her long ebony black hair, removing her golden diadem from her head and placing it on stone bust sitting in the corner of her quarters. The long white himation that draped her body had been covered in little spills of wine and beer, ruining the fabric. Diana sighed at the misfortune, as it was one of her favorite articles of clothing.

 

She had began to tear the clothing off of her when she heard a rustle of noise at the other end of her room, near her bed. Her right hand had slowly drifted down into her dress, to the short sword that rested at the top of her thigh- “There is no need for that.”

 

Her hand froze as it touched the hilt, ready to unsheathe its sharp point. A flash of light made all the candles spread throughout the room burst into a brilliant illumination, then settle down to a dim glow. Diana shielded herself for only a moment, before moving her wrists away from her face, looking upon the being who had trespassed into her home; Nyx, goddess of the night.

 

“Great goddess,” spoke Diana. Kneeling down before her superior. “How may I serve you?”

 

The pale, darkly garbed woman glided towards her. The layers of black skirts she wore bellowing behind her, “Be at peace Diana. For I have come with a proclamation for you.”

 

Confusion gripped at Diana, making her raise her head towards the intangible and ethereal beauty, “And what is this...proclamation?”

 

The woman continued her decree, “The gods have sensed a growing power within a young woman by the name of Cassandra Sandsmark.”

 

The name penetrated Diana; she remembered that her mother had been taken captive of the Light only a few days ago. Batman had sent her a message that the Team had successfully saved her, and the world. She should return to man’s world as soon as she can to help with the reconstruction of those hurt by the Light’s latest attack. 

 

Yet her mind kept running back to Helena Sandsmark and her child. Under a disguise, Diana had met Helena several years ago and became good acquaintances with her. She had even come into contact with the doctor’s young daughter once or twice. She had never recalled sensing anything different about the young girl, but if the gods get involved, then there is definitely something wrong. 

 

“I do not understand,” Diana began. “What do the gods desire with Cassandra Sandsmark?”

 

Nyx looked down upon the Amazon, “It concerns her parentage…”


	9. New Ideas

_Washington D.C._

_April 3, 15:29 EST_

Cassie pretty much skipped from school to home, as she was definitely looking forward to the weekend. With midterms coming up and kicking her butt, she couldn't wait until spring break. Her mother was considering the idea of taking her to an Etruscan dig site for two weeks. Italy was one of the many places that Cassie would die to go to. Therefore the minute she heard that one of her mother's colleagues wanted her to visit his dig site, she followed her mother around like a lost puppy, begging her to go.

As she got to the stairs of her apartment building, she ran up the steps just in time as an older woman with her small dog opened the door for Cassie. She held the door open as the woman walked past her, thanking her. When the way was clear, she swung around the entryway and into the lobby.

Cassie sprinted up the last few flights of stairs, digging in her bag for her keys as she strolled right up to her front door. While she was placing her key in the lock and turning it, she heard two voices in a hushed tone on the other side of the door. She paused as she listened in as best as she could, letting her ear rest up against the door just to try and hear what was going on. Call her nosey, but with no siblings, and no friends who lived by her, she had to find even the most menial of ways to entertain herself.

On the other end, one of the voices suddenly stopped, letting the opposite side go silent. Cassie jumped back up to her feet, pushing the door open with everything she had. After taking only one step into the living room, she froze in her tracks.

Her mother was reclining in her favorite chair while sitting comfortably across from her on the couch, fully donned in Amazonian armor, was Wonder Woman. _The Wonder Woman_. Lounging on her couch drinking tea with her mother.

" _Tell me I'm not crazy,"_ Cassie's brain pleaded. The need to slap her face till it spun around like a top started to overpower Cassie's mind. She could feel her eyes bugging out of her head, and to some point she wanted them to stop. Yet, with freaking _Wonder Woman_ staring at the awestruck blonde, Cassie's motor functions went offline.

"Um...Cassandra, I do believe you know who this is-"

"Wonder Woman…" Cassie murmured in total admiration. "You're- you're Wonder Woman!"

The enormous pale-skinned woman set down her teacup and rose up to tower over the small girl. "Yes I am, and you're Cassandra."

Cassie giggled at her personal hero for saying her name, " _I think I'm gonna hurl."_

Helena slowly got up out of her seat, and walked over to where her daughter was frozen in place, "Oh come now, you've met her before. There's no need of introductions."

The doctor started to tug on her daughter's arm towards the couch, not noticing that Cassie's jaw had just dropped a whole foot towards the ground.

Helena sat Cassie down in her usual spot on the couch, as she and Diana returned to their original places. Cassie sat in utter shock as her idol was only a few inches away from her.

After a few moments of tense awkwardness, Diana decided to break the ice. Taking hold of Cassie's hand, Diana asked, "Now Cassandra, do you know why I'm here?"

Cassie froze up again as she felt the warmth beam off of Wonder Woman. Helena had to nudge and get her daughter's attention before she could reply, "No, no I don't. But I'm very happy that you are here."

Diana smiled at the young blonde who was absolutely floored at the attention she was receiving, "Cassandra, your mother and I have been watching over you for quite a long time. And I have come to believe that there is a possibility that you may have dormant powers that you might not be aware of."

The expression that Cassie was wearing began to change from joy to concern. She looked between the women she was sitting around, "Is this about a few months back? Look I've repaired all the damage I caused and it was a total accident-"

"No, no Cassandra. This is good news, you're not in trouble," Diana said assuredly. "Your mother and I would like to be able to put you through several trials and see if you are like myself, capable of many great labors."

Cassie once more looked back at the Amazon, "You...you think that I have superpowers?"

Diana nodded, "Perchance you do, I would be honored to help you hone your abilities and teach you to control them and help man's world."

The young girl fidgeted with her fingers, looking down at her lap, "I-I don't know. Trials? I probably don't even have any powers that would qualify for trials."

Diana nearly chuckled, "With your pedigree I am more than certain you do. It is more peculiar that it has taken this long for any to appear-"

Placing her hands before the woman in front of her, moving them as if to ask her to slow down, Cassie queried, "My pedigree? What? What do you mean by that?"

"Well I," Diana stopped before continuing, looking back to Helena for reassurance. Cassie was quick to follow as she turned her head back to her mother, her face pleading to know what her hero was talking about.

Helena's war-torn face was not hard to recognize, but she tried to hide it as she moved to take her daughter's arm, "Perhaps we should discuss this in the kitchen."

As the two moved to the kitchen, Helena found herself being dragged by her daughter instead of the other way around. Helena was flung near the room's island as Cassie calmly asked, "What does she mean _pedigree_?"

Helena closed her eyes as she was facing away from Cassie. Years and years of secrecy were about to go down the drain, but Helena knew there was no way to back out of this situation any more.

She turned back to look down at her daughter, whose face was scrunched up in fear and worry, "Mom, what did she mean?"

Sighing, Helena spoke, "She was referring to your father."

Helena never talked about Cassie's father. He was always just a presence that the two acknowledged as nothing more than someone who was only needed for a moment, and then was gone. Cassie's early years were hard for her, as for any child who didn't understand that daddy was never coming home. Whenever someone would ask about it, she would say that she didn't care, and she never needed him in the first place. Yet Helena could feel now that her sweet daughter's feelings towards the man who helped create her were twisted, and confused.

Cassie's confusion however, began to boil into anger, "Some guy you met on a dig who actually understood a word you were saying when you talked about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon or the Minoans vs the Mycenaeans? Some guy who just abandoned us after he found out you were pregnant with me?"

"Cassie-"

"Some lowlife jerk who seemed perfect to you until he decided to split when he realized that we weren't good enough for him? What the _hell_ did she mean by pedigree?!" Tears spewed from the girl's eyes as she continued. The anger that had just become present in her speech jumped up to near inconsolable rage.

"Cassandra!"

Tears slipped down her cheek as she raised her eyes to look directly at her mother.

"Your father wasn't some man I met at a dig in Athens like I told you. He...he was," all of Helena's courage seemed to die as the truth was about to come out.

Cassie took several strides over to her mother, stopping only a foot away as she demanded to know, "Who was he?"

Helena's eyes watered as she whispered, "He was Zeus."

Helena had never heard Cassie so quiet as she was in that moment. A choked back piece of air created a tiny sound that was meant to come out as a "no". Cassie began to back away from her mother, her head shaking, reiterating the no that her body was refusing to let her speak. The girl's glossy blue eyes switched back and forth from Helena out to the direction where Diana was. Helena could understand her daughter thought the man of her confession was a joke. Yet as the moments passed, everything became crystal clear to her, and she was rejecting the truth. A few drops of tears slipped down Cassie's face, "My father is Zeus?"

Helena nodded, "Yes."

"You've lied to me all these years?"

"It was to protect you," Helena's voice retched out. "I thought you having the knowledge of your father being a god would be too great a burden for you. I didn't want you to grow up expecting anything from him when there's centuries worth of stories about him not caring for his children."

Unknowingly, Cassie's head started to shake again, "You should have told me."

"I just didn't want him to disappoint you."

Cassie continued to back herself out of the kitchen's doorway and back to the living room, "He's not the parent I'm disappointed in."

Tears finally fell down Helena's face, as did the realization of her keeping such a big secret away from her child. She leaned down against the island, closing her eyes as a few quiet sobs escaped from her lips.

Cassie re-entered the room just as fast as she had before, "By the way, I'm doing the trials."

* * *

_Mount Justice_

_April 3, 16:22 EST_

Though school hours were over and all the members of the team who weren't living at the Cave were most likely on their way, the place was deserted. Empty hallways gave way to empty rooms. The only noise that seemed to be emanating within the building, was loud grunts and frustrated groans coming from the main training ring in the center of the Cave.

Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl should have been mopping the floor with her fellow batkid Robin, Tim Drake. Yet somehow during this evening's spar, the young boy would not go down without a fight. Every jab she threw at him he blocked. Every kick and punch was either deflected or missed completely. She didn't know whether to congratulate him, or throw a harder punch.

"Good work Robin," Barbara quipped just as she pulled out one of her small knifes from her utility belt. "Two to three years, you might actually catch up to me."

Tim wasted no time in pulling out his bo staff, expertly blocking Barbara's blow as it came into contact with his weapon, "With how much effort you're putting in today I'll be lucky if I make it six months before you kill me."

Barbara smiled as she swung down her knife again, waiting for him to take the bait and focus all his energy on defense. The two twirled around each other, Tim taking a firm stance with his staff in hand, the taser off, _tame from Barbara's point of view_. They had been fighting for the past twenty minutes and either could strike a critical blow on the other.

That is until Barbara got an idea.

She circled around Tim once more, getting him to watch her like a hawk, "You hear Wonder Woman was looking at a possible new protege?"

A moment for processing made him slow down his movements for just a second before answering, "No, why would she? Who could replace Donna?"

Ah yes, Donna Troy. Who could forget? After only a few years of working with the team, Donna hung up her uniform for some history professor at Manhattan College. If she was like most superheroes, a few hugs and best wishes would have been given to the happy couple. However, she was the little sister to Wonder Woman, not many people knew what proper protocol was for an Amazonian wedding.

"Diana's not looking for a replacement. She's just trying to help someone who doesn't have much control over their abilities."

Tim nodded as Barbara began to get closer and closer to the unbalanced youth. "Someone like...I don't know," Too close. "Cassie Sandsmark."

"What?" Tim nearly screamed as Barbara tried to sweep his leg, hitting him, but not hard enough to cause him to fall. The boy took his staff and swung it towards the redhead's knee, causing her leg to hit the floor, and her whole body to collapse. Her knife slipping out of her grasp.

He hardly noticed how hard she fell as the second her back came into contact with the ground. He only focused on landing on her, his knees pinning down her wrists, the end of his staff pointed directly at her face.

Taking in several deep breaths to try and calm herself down, Barbara looked up at her partner with complete shock. She could not let this be the end of the match though, "Didn't Bruce tell you?" she quietly asked. "Diana's meeting with her today."

Barbara's last statement threw Tim for a loop once again, giving her ample time to slide her wrists out from under him, grab hold of his weapon, and twist them around till he was laying flat on his back looking up at her. She chuckled to herself as the boy tried his best to wriggle out of her hold on him, but he could not.

"Say it," Barbara whispered.

After a few minutes of Tim's sad attempt at getting Barbara off him, his movements finally desisted, laying down his arms in defeat. With a huff of air, Tim let out the word that she was listening for intently, "Pin."

Only then did the older girl slowly get off the boy, offering him her hand as a symbol of respect. The two's covered hands clasped together, letting the mocked and meaningless fight end right there in the ring.

While the two calming down from their exercise, Tim leaned down, placing his hands on his knees trying to help his breathing.

Barbara couldn't help but annoy her friend further, "Apparently Wonder Woman wants to test our friend. After our report she thought there was a good chance she had powers she didn't know about."

"But that was months ago," Tim chided. "Why would she wait this long to see if she has any powers?"

Barbara shrugged at his question, "We just have to trust Diana's judgement on this. Besides, it's not like we weren't expecting this."

Tim's heavy breathing paused, his back straightening up against the tone of Barbara's voice. "What do you mean?"

Barbara, smiled gently as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "It's not like one of us was using a stolen comm to talk to Cass."

The white lenses on Tim's mask grew exponentially. Patting his caped shoulder, trying to calm him down, "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret. You're just lucky Alfred replaced the earpiece before Bruce noticed." With that said, she started padding over towards the kitchen.

As she walked away, she could barely hear Tim say under his breath, "Thank you."

She turned around to see a smile peeking out on Tim's face. A rare sight as any, "I said I would keep your secret. But I don't know how long Dick can."

Just as fast as the smile on her friend's face had appeared, it evaporated with the mention of his brother's name. Barbara took no mind as she continued back to the kitchen, a coy smile crawling up her lips with each step she took.

* * *

_Washington D.C._

_April 3, 19:45 EST_

Cassie placed hangers full of clothes down on her bed, deciding what pieces were most acceptable on an island run by immortal warrior women.

The flat out absurdity of the situation made it near impossible for Cassie to come to a decision on what she would take with her.

Diana had been rather vague on how long it would take to get to the island or how long she was even going to be there. She didn't know if she should pack for the weekend, or for the whole month. Just the faster she could get away from her mother, the better.

Too preoccupied with her anger and her packing, she didn't even notice her mother coming into the room, carrying a large red sweater her grandmother; in this case, her "mortal" grandmother had knitted for her years ago before she died.

"I thought you might want this, in case it gets cold," Helena said quietly as she placed the sweater on top of Cassie's backpack.

Cassie's head stayed down as she continued to ransack her closet, "I'll be in the Mediterranean in the middle of spring. You really think I'll need a sweater?"

"You never know," Helena told her in a calm tone. "With how global warming is going, we might need parkas in June and sunblock in December. Few years give or take."

Trying her hardest not to smile at her mother's lovable insanity, Cassie plowed on through, stuffing sock and underwear alike into her dark blue duffel bag.

A moment passed between the two before Helena got the strength to speak up, "I should have told you about your father."

Pausing her movements, Cassie turned her head so that she could get a good look at her mother through her peripheral vision.

"When you were a baby," Helena continued. "I decided that you were better off not knowing who or what he was."

Cassie started to shove more unneeded clothes into the duffel, "We could have made that decision together. As a family."

"I know," Helena whispered.

Refusing to continue her dumb charade of packing, Cassie stood by, letting more uncomfortable silence eat away at them.

"If you could," she said barely above her breath, "Would you have let me live my whole life without knowing?"

"No, Cassie!"

Helena ran to her daughter's side, pulling her child's back tight against her own chest, crushing her arms against the smaller girl's petite frame. Cassie's only choice in the matter was to melt into the maternal embrace. Yet Helena slowly turned her around, taking her hands into her own and pulling her towards the edge of her bed.

Helena squeezed Cassie's hand, while using the other to raise her daughter's beautiful face up to her, "Right after you were born, and I was holding you in my arms, _he_ came up to me. He told me that there was a fifty percent chance you would have powers. And then, he was gone. Forever."

Cassie's anger was no longer present, instead a look reminding Helena of a scared puppy overtook. She continued onward, "Everyday from that moment on, I was scared. I was terrified that one day he would just come take you away from me and I would never see you again. The odds of losing you were the same as the flip of a coin."

The grip Helena had soon transferred over to Cassie, "And everyday that he didn't come, it got a little easier. Everyday your smile grew bigger. Your eyes grew brighter. The warmth and compassion within you became so large, I couldn't figure out where you were keeping it. You love me, everyone around you, even yourself so much that I will never be able to grasp, to understand, or even fathom what you're capable of doing."

Tears began to well up in her daughter's spectacular blue eyes again. Helena couldn't help but reach out and wipe them away before they had the chance to escape.

"I couldn't bare the thought of telling you that there was a fifty percent chance of you having powers. I didn't want you to lose one ounce of that love you have for yourself. Just because there was a possibility you didn't have any powers. I wanted to teach you that you are so much more than just a fifty percent chance."

Helena's words had made Cassie a blubbering mess, causing the girl to wrap her mother up in her arms and her crazy blond hair. Tears, snot, and whimpers were the only things coming out of Cassie at that point.

Helena rocked the two back and forth on the bed, rubbing and patting her daughter's back as she did when she was an infant. "I guess I was right," she said. "Now he really is taking you away."

Cassie peeled off of her mother, wiping away all of the gross fluids that had come oozing out of her. "No, you're my mom. That means more to me than anything he could offer."

Helena sniffled a little at her daughter's attempt at touching words.

The young girl patted down her mother's messed up hair, fixing her brunette bangs so that they hit just level with her fogged up glasses, "Do you have to leave me?" Helena asked.

Cassie nodded, "I can't live a whole life with half of it missing. I need to know who I am, and what I'm capable of."

Nodding in acceptance, Helena straightened up her askew attire, "You're only going for the weekend. I want you and Diana back here no later than Sunday afternoon. Understand?"

The beautiful giggle that Cassie hid from her mother burst through her lips, causing every little line in her face to scream out, " _Hey! Look at me I'm adorable!"_

* * *

After a few hours and by her state of packing, Cassie had ignored rolling up her shirts and pants neatly, instead going for the throwing them into the bag and praying that it would close when she was through with it. She was close to being finished, she was just down to the final pieces of clothes that she might need, and the few and small trinkets that she had that would work without electricity. As she had to keep reminding herself that she was going to an island that was as close to ancient Greece as she could get; and that included no wifi.

Cassie finally found herself done just as the sun began setting. Her exhaustion made her want to flop out onto her bed, but with her duffel bag, several backpacks, and laundry baskets covering her small bed, she found herself sinking down to the floor, arms spread out, letting out long winded whining that sounded close to a dying rubber chicken.

While she spent a few moments deflating, her eyes caught onto a small pile of red flannel bunch up underneath her bed. Wires connected in her brain, telling her that it was the blanket she had worn the night Robin had brought her mother home safely.

Still not ready to not be lazy, Cassie tried rolling herself under the bed to try and grab at the blanket. She got half her body stuck in between the floor and the frame, but her left arm just made it to the point where she could grab onto the blanket's edge and pull it towards her.

Clutching the blanket to her chest, the blonde slid out from the bed, only to hear something undistinguished fall and bounce off the floor. Cassie's heart almost stopped when she realized that it was the tiny piece of technology she had received that very same night.

She threw half of her belongings off the floor desperately searching for the little earbud that meant the world to her. Shoes, jackets, empty boxes flew into the air as her rampage nearly destroying everything she had spent all day accomplishing.

Finally, after gods know how long it took her, Cassie laid on the ground, staring at the bottom of her nightstand, looking at a little white earpiece that just sat there as if that's where it was meant to be. Cassie didn't know if she could just get up and pick it up off the ground, as she was deathly afraid that it would sprout legs and jump out of her window never to be seen again.

Rising up at near glacial speed, Cassie took her her stance like a lion to its pounce. She squatted down and never taking her eyes off the earpiece.

With cat-like agility, she jumped into the air, ready to have earpiece clenched in between her hands. Cassie ignored the crashing sound that her body made as it landed loudly against the ground, as she was too preoccupied with her one connection to the boy wonder sitting safely beneath her fingers.

Cassie got herself back up to a sitting position, legs crossed while leering at the little machine that was bequeathed to her. It's round and smooth texture brought back memories of the young boy who with barely a moment's hesitation, placed it in her cold hands, promising to talk with her once again.

He barely held up his promise to her. Only a few done-too-soon conversations held in the dead of night were held between the two. Though it made her feel selfish, Cassie wanted more.

The moment was broken as Helena began yelling towards her daughter, begging to know where the mysteriously large crash had come from. Cassie took the earbud and threw it into an open pocket of her duffel bag, hiding it just in time for her mother to come waltzing into her room and not see it.

"It's time to go sweetheart," Helena said sadly.

The girl looked down to her bags before picking them up and walking out of her room, Helena leading the way.

The two exited the apartment, making their way back up the stairs to the rooftop.

As they stepped out onto the vacant roof, Helena pulled her daughter into a vast hug, as though she was trying to squish her to death. Cassie didn't mind though. They had been through so much together it was a wonder how they could do anything by themselves.

They only broke away as a huge draft of wind caused the two to look up at the sky and see a vague outline of a jet. Much like the ship that was sitting on her roof a few months prior, the jet was invisible, or camouflaged from prying eyes. Yet unlike the last ship, the plane's engines could be heard a mile away. So much for stealth.

Wonder Woman shot out of the plane's cockpit, landing on the rooftop with as much grace as any bird. She walked over to the family as they said their final goodbyes to one another.

"It'll only be till Sunday, I promise," Cassie said in her most soothing tone. She moved away from her mom, fixing the straps of her backpack and duffel bag.

Diana helped Cassie climb into her plane's passenger seat, setting her bags onto her lap after she buckled in for take off.

Helena watched as the jet's invisible engines started up, letting everyone around them know that Cassie was leaving on the adventure of a lifetime. The plane's wheels were unseen, but Helena could make out the shadows of them as they lifted into the air. She backed away into the safety of the stairwell as the plane lifted higher and higher into the dark sky.

Cassie peaked out the window down at her mother, letting her hand rest up against it in a final act. Without any further delay, Diana punched in a few keys of her jet, lifted the control column, and they flew off into the night.

* * *

_Metropolis_

_April 3, 23:18 EST_

The weather down by the city's harbor was almost perfect. Not too cold, nor too hot. The deep night sky allowing Intergang's members to hide in the shadows as they waited patiently for their partners to arrive.

Whisper A'Daire, one of Intergang's leaders sat lazily on top of her transport while her boss, Bruno Mannheim, paced around her.

"They should have been here by now," Whisper said with a heavy emphasis of boredom. She had pulled out one of the small throwing knives aligning her belt and began twirling it around her fingers.

Mannheim stopped his movements as the sound of a car engine drew near to the group. "About time," he said annoyed.

A long, black limo pulled up towards the gang. It's near pristine exterior put the other vehicles around it to shame.

Not unlike the car, the man sitting inside of it put the whole lot of others their to shame as well.

Ugly stood, his arms crossing as he watched a short, classically dressed woman open the car's door, revealing Lex Luthor.

No words were needed to express how infuriated Mannheim was. Kept waiting like a dumb child. His only reaction to Luthor strolling over to him and extending his hand, was a short grunt, and his crossed arms growing tighter around his body.

Lex could ready Ugly's immature body language like a book. Of course Lex was late on purpose, as he had never officially met Mannheim. He wanted to judge the man on his character, and even with his standards set pretty low for the miscreant, he was still incredibly disappointed.

"Come now, Mr. Mannheim," Lex replied oozing with charm, "What's a few minutes between friends."

Ugly huffed, "We don't appreciate being treated like we're expendable, Luthor."

"You are expendable Mr. Mannheim," Lex announced to the entire group, losing whatever sense of honor there was between him and Ugly. "My colleagues and I were under the assumption that you and your...party, were in need of some patronage."

Luthor turned to his associate, nodding towards the closed limousine door. Stalking back to the car's door, Mercy opened the door, taking hold of something that was out of Ugly's line of vision.

Without warning, Mercy dropped the heavy object she had in her possession onto the pavement and kicked it towards Mannheim's men. A piercing sound skidded across the ground, only for Ugly's foot to be immediately hit by a heavy and stunning silver briefcase.

Bruno, throwing his caution to the wind, tore the briefcase open, freezing as he eyed the stacks upon stacks of cash lining the interior of the case. Whisper's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as she reached for the cash.

Beating her to the punch however was Mannheim, who slammed the case closed. "What is this?" Ugly's demeanor growing unstable by the minute, "A little incentive for us to do grub's work?"

"Yes," Lex declared without missing a beat.

"We don't just work for kitchen scraps, Luthor," Ugly said in his typical gruff voice. "If you gotta throw this much money at us just to think about taking the job, what's the real payout?"

The businessman and his bodyguard exchanged looks, deciding whether or not revealing their prime directive would make sense to the less-than-perspicacious man standing before them.

Yet the silent ruling must have been favored to Mannheim, as Luthor turned back to him. "Wonder Woman's lasso," Lex stated. "Have you ever considered if it was the only one of it's kind?"


	10. Tests

Themyscira  
April 11, 09:18 EEST

The short white stola that fell just above Cassie’s knees flowed with her movements like water as she dodged and parried the thrusts of her opponent’s sword. Her heavily armoured wrists and shoulders brushed up against her shield that raised high above her head, her bare feet gliding across the arena’s rough ground. The sun’s powerful beams grew warm on Cassie’s helmet-clad head. All of her hair had been tucked away inside, making her feel like her head was being cooked. Still, she powered through it, tightening her grip on her weapon as she circled Artemis, one of the island’s greatest champions Diana had once told her. 

The woman’s face hidden underneath a golden helmet, her long and gorgeous red hair spilling out of the top of the headgear where a plume would have been. The ancient warrior nearly burst from laughter when Diana had requested her to wear some of her armour during that day’s sparring match, but she complied with her princess’s demands. 

Even though Cassie had been on the island for a short time, she had excelled at hand to hand combat with the other Amazons, and her skills at the shortsword were improving. So much so that Diana decided to test the young girl’s might against one of the fiercest woman Cassie had ever seen.

Without warning, Artemis came rushing at the girl with her xiphos ready to rip her apart. Cassie spun her sword once in her hand as she readied herself for Artemis’s vicious attack. What she wasn’t prepared for though was Artemis turning her weapon’s gleaming steel up towards the sun so that a bright glint of light would bounce of it into Cassie’s unguarded eyes. 

Flinching away from the blinding light, she brought her shield up to her head, forgetting that a bloodthirsty Amazon was careening towards her. 

The armoured redhead brought down her blade, aiming for the girl’s bare legs. Cassie was able to see the shining metal hurtling at her, therefore she was fast enough to block the blade. 

Yet that was exactly was Artemis was hoping for. Without quarter, she raised her leg against the girl’s still raised shield and pushed her down to the ground. 

The force of the kick made the shield collide with Cassie’s helmet, knocking her down to the rocky floor. Her helmet fell off as she was came into contact with the hard surface beneath her, blond hair spilled like ink from a vial. She wasn’t hurt badly, but Cassie did not want to suffer the embarrassment that she knew would come if she got up. So naturally, she decided to lay on the ground for the rest of eternity. 

“Come on little warrior,” a rich, deep voice called to her. Cassie lifted her head to see Artemis’s hand extended to her. The older woman took hold of the girl and helped her up to her feet. “That can’t be all the fight in you.”

Cassie looked down upon her feet, the heels of them were cut, and bleeding profusely.

“Your body is soft,” Artemis stated loudly. “We must make every part of you strong. If you wish to ever earn the title of Amazon.”

Diana had marched herself up to the two, watching as Artemis cleaned up the young blonde’s disarrayed clothing.

“Good block,” Diana spoke. “But you let your shield become a liability instead of an asset. Your shield and your sword are an extension of you. They are a part of you; don’t let them tear you apart.”

Cassie heard the words, but took no interest in actually listening to them. She would not let herself be made to look weak, “Let’s go again.”

Her two counterparts looked at each other, creating facial expressions Cassie could not read. Artemis walked away, picking up her sword as she continued to the broken remains of a column on the edge of the arena. Letting herself get comfortable as she drew a whetstone to sharpen her dull blade. 

Diana looked upon Cassie, “You need rest. You’ve done well. Not everyone can last 3 minutes in a fight with Artemis.”

“Would have been shorter if I was allowed a real blade. Not a child’s toy,” Artemis canted.

A sharp look from Diana was thrown at Artemis, Cassie could understand this time; she is here to learn, not to die. With a stern hand placed on her shoulder, Diana led her away from the empty arena.

“Ignore Artemis’s utterances,” Diana said to Cassie as they walked out of the arena and onto the pathway that led back to the forum. “It has been a long time since her assistance in training was required.”

“That was her helping?” Cassie asked. “Felt more like she was beating me around like a rag doll.”

Diana looked towards Cassie’s little feet. The pads of them had begun to leave behind a trail of red footprints. The girl did not look as though she was in pain, but her condition still worried Diana.

“We shall go to the priests to have your feet mended.”  
“No,” Cassie interjected. “They’ll be fine. I just need to put my sandals on.”

Diana looked sadly upon her, “You will be returning to Man’s world in a few days, I do not wish to return you to your mother with an injured body.”

Cassie could easily tell what that meant for her; Diana knew she didn’t have powers. For the first few days, Diana threw everything at Cassie. Hand to hand combat, sword and shield training, even Ancient Amazonian history was thrown in. This was the typical flow of the day; waking at sunrise, food, sparring, more food, training, and lectures. To top it all off, at the end of every day, a test to awaken Cassie’s dormant powers was waiting. Everyday it would end the same, Cassie going to bed disappointed in herself. 

‘What is wrong with me?’ she thought. ‘If everyone thought I had powers why can’t they show up?’

She could feel as every day went by, Diana’s resolve in her diminished. Her smiles faded, her voice grew softer, less full of hope. Cassie figured that by the end of the week, she’d return home as what she thought she always was; a normal human being. 

After she returned to her room, her bandaged feet aching and her body sweating from the humidity outside, Cassie was in need of a quick rest. Even though the whole time she had been on the island she hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest. She had plenty of time to try and sleep though. Diana was kind enough to let her take the afternoon to relax before her test that night.

Flopping down onto her small daybed, Cassie’s eyes drifted over to the small balcony that was connected to her room by three large archways. Whenever Cassie entered the room, she could look across the room, out onto the balcony, and out to the sea. The pristine waters during the day would at night time turn into a glittering mirror reflecting the moon and thousands of stars. For now though, Cassie was focused on shutting her eyes and falling into a deep sleep. 

That was cut short however, as while she was settling in for her nap, she felt a small bump digging into the side of her thigh. With eyes closed, Cassie reached down for the object while turning herself over onto her back. She gazed up at the earpiece that always seemed to play hide and seek with her. 

Turning it over, she realized that a little red light on the contraption was blinking on and off. She pressed the button next to the light to, then brought it up to her ear, listening in seeing if there was anyone on the other end of the comm. 

A light static was heard, then nothing. Cassie grew concerned that the red light she saw was just a figment of her imagination. 

“Cassie?”

The air had suddenly left the room. That meek voice that she had immediately recognized as the Boy Wonder had caused her breath to hitch in the bottom of her throat. Lying still as possible, Cassie listened in on the comm once again.

“Cassie are you there?”

Afraid and unable to say anything, Cassie’s lips moved around letting groggy air noises escape from her. Luckily though, she was able to finally let one word slip out, “Yes.”

“It’s me...Robin. Remember me?”

Clearing her throat, she spoke again, “Of course I do. You gave me the comm link remember?”

Gotham City  
April 11, 03:38 EST 

Halfway across the world, Tim sat stiffly on the ledge of one of Gotham’s dozens of skyscrapers watching those who were still awake scuffle around the city.

It had been a while since he had spoken with Cassie, and she hadn’t turned on her comm in days. Usually she was the one to start their conversations, letting Tim relax as starting conversations was not one of his strong suits. He wanted to talk to her though, so he gathered his courage and sent out a call to the comm, hoping she would answer. Thankfully he was right. 

“How’ve you been?” he asked. 

“Alright,” her voice sounding incredibly drained. She sounded as though she hadn’t slept in days.

Tim grew a little concerned, but hid it well away from her, “You sure?”

“Yeah,” her words gave way to a large yawn that took her almost a minute to get through. 

Although his gut told him to question her on her obvious need of sleep, he decided to dance around that subject until later. “How has Themyscira been?”

Cassie did jump back rather quickly as she snapped, “Fine.”

Unknowing how to go on from the clear displeasure she got from his question, Tim stuttered, “I’m sorry I-I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay. Just...let’s not talk about that right now.”

“Oh,” Tim muttered. “Okay.”  
The awkward silence that fell between the two made Tim realize that even though Cassie was mad, more or less upset about what was happening on Themyscira and demanded that he not ask about it, there was something in her tone that felt as though she really did want to talk about it.

“Cassie, are the Amazons not treating you well?”

“No,” her voice betrayed her. 

Tim waited for her to continue. 

With a deep breath, she revealed all, “It’s wonderful here. The island’s beautiful, the people are kind Diana...she believes in me.”

“And that’s bad?”

She butted back in, “It is when I’m failing her!”

Tim waited to see if she was going to say anymore. When he knew that was not going to happen, he asked, “How are you failing her?”

Another few moments of dead air passed, “She’s just been so patient with me, and I’m constantly letting her down. She and everyone else is pretending that nothing’s wrong and my powers will just show up. I-and- I can’t eat, and I can’t sleep!”

Now the blonde’s sobs could be heard through the other end, Tim’s overwhelming wish to be able to console her took him out of their conversation for the moment, but he relapsed back again, hoping that if he kept her talking, he could help her.

“Have,” his voice drifted as he didn’t know how to go on with his question. Curiosity got the best of Tim, he did not like that his friend felt the need to lie to him. “Have you been sleeping since you got to Themyscira?”

The long silence on both ends did not go unnoticed, “No.”

“Are you having nightmares?”

“I guess,” her quiet confession coming through. “I keep having the same dream over and over again.”

Tim waited without saying a word.

“I’m flying,” she whispered. “I can’t see myself flying but...I feel it and,” her voice trailed off as she gathered herself together. “I’m happy.”   
A cool breeze hit the back of Tim, letting his cape get caught up in the wind. He could only imagine what the wind would have looked like if it blew against her hair, and probably her tear-streaked face.

She slowly breathed out, “And then I’m falling.” 

A hemisphere away, Tim grew uneasy with her words. 

“I-I’m falling, faster and faster. My limbs reeling my head...screaming...but I can’t move. I can’t do anything.”

Tim let out a soft breath, “People who dream about falling are usually afraid that they are going to fail at something.”

A pained chuckled fell from Cassie, “It must be nice being right all the time.”

Only then did Tim realize that pointing out how someone was hurting and being smart about it was not a good way to comfort them. He really needed to get better at that.

“I’m not right all the time,” he admitted quietly. Still, the other end of the comm was still silent. He had to do better than that. “Do you want to know my worst dream, or I guess, the most unsettling one I’ve ever had?”

Cassie nodded, but quickly realized her error and said, “Yes.”

“Well...I’m in Gotham. At least I think I am, and there’s a building. A bridge, being built. I could feel that everyone was excited about it. They needed this; this would help them make their lives better.”

Cassie didn’t feel as her anxiety melted away, all she could do was listen to Robin’s lulling voice and the seriousness of his story that seemed pointless. So why was she so invested in it?

“Yet as it’s being built,” Tim hesitated to speak, she could hear his voice getting caught in his throat. “I’m scared of it.”

Raising herself up onto her elbows, then shifting to sit up properly and stare out onto the sparkling sea. Not knowing what to do, she could only look out at the empty waters that spread to its’ vanishing point. In her mind, thoughts of what time it was in Gotham and what was this soft yet vacant voice going through. The inability to reach out or even look at the boy who seemed so sad and confused left an empty pit growing in her stomach.

“Not scared really,” He spoke up. “But I feel nervous just by looking at it.”

Cassie’s eyes closed, trying to lose herself in the story as she did moments before. She doubted that that could happen again, but she would do her best.

He breathed in, then let the air rush out from him, “It’s a normal-looking bridge. There’s nothing really odd about it’s design. However, it’s made out of something that looks like steel, yet there’s a reflective quality in it. Like a mirror. The whole thing’s reflective.”

The worst part was that Cassie could imagine this diabolical bridge that he was describing. Down to the last bolt and wire. The bridge’s construction had begun and ended within moments of each other. She could help but be in awe of the spectral bridge in her mind’s eye.

“When it’s finished, there’s this ceremony for it. A christening. And everyone’s there; rich and poor. After they cut the ribbon and clap, everyone is suppose to walk on it, make it official. But no one can do it,” His voice turned from lulling into something that wasn’t angry or frightened, but resentful. “Everyone feels the way I do, no one wants to walk on it. They’re uneasy and uncomfortable.”

The way that his voice just drops gets Cassie as uncomfortable as he described himself in the dream. 

He continues on, “Years later no one has gone on the bridge. Some people feel that it is too strange for the city, ill-fitting, others flat out feel that it is too good for Gotham. So there it stands.  
It just stands there. Til the end of time.”

As the boy finished his tale, all the fear and dread that he felt when he first had that dream came pouring into him. Another fear that Cassie would not understand him and his plight grew in his belly. He could only wait as she once again remained silent.

She did speak though, “What do you eat before you go to bed?”

Tim felt as laughter rose up through his stomach, spiraled in his throat, and burst through his mouth louder than he could ever have hoped for. He laughed so hard he felt the tears he cried get stuck on the edges of his mask, and fogging up his vision. 

On the other end, he finally heard Cassie giggle aloud. She must have covered her ridiculous smile as her laugh became distorted and hard to hear. 

“Sorry, that me opening up to you is weird,” he said while his laughter began to die out. He listened as she quieted down. Only for there to be radio silence. “What is it?” he asked tentatively.

“Are we...allowed to do this?” Cassie questioned him. “Won’t Batman be a little ticked that his sidekick has a friend who's normal?”

Tim chuckled at the notion, “I think we both know you aren’t exactly normal.”

A huff of air came from her end of the comm, making Tim imagine her with a demure smile. 

Then, a moment of bitterness tarnished the image of the blonde. The idea that Cassie didn’t have powers and would be sent home without another word took Tim for a loop. They could not really be friends. She lived in D.C., him in Gotham. If she ever wanted to hang out with him, he would have to think up some cockamamie scheme just to be around her. He knew for sure that there was no way Cassie Sandsmark and Tim Drake could be friends. The minute Bruce would figure out Cassie had met his secret identity, he could kiss his days as Robin goodbye.

For now, he could only ask, “What do you think will happen if you don’t have superpowers?”

“I don’t know,” Cassie replied. “All I know is, I remember growing and watching Wonder Woman on tv taking down the bad guys, saving the day. She was strong and fierce and...that’s what I wanted to be.”

Tim nodded in earnest, “You wanted to be Wonder Woman.”

“Oh, like you didn’t want to be Batman?”

That cut at Tim. When he was little, sure, being Batman was everyone's dream. As he was going through Bruce’s training, Tim got to spend time with Dick, learn from him. He was able to talk to someone who wanted the same things he wanted; to be Batman. He had never been so happy as to know that Batman’s legacy would be carried on through Dick.

He was wrong though. One night during a mission, he got hurt. Really hurt. When they got back to The Cave and he had healed a little, Dick nearly went on a rampage with him. He told him that he nearly put him in, “an impossible position”. Tim couldn’t understand why he got so mad. That got cleared up however when Wally told him about a “no-win training scenario” gone wrong.

Dick confessed to everything; the fear of leadership, the loss of friends, even the loss of his desire to become Batman. That was the moment Tim realized what level of sacrifice Bruce had and still has to go through in order to be Batman. He also realized that Dick could never be Batman.

Tim was no Batman, but neither was he a Nightwing. He didn’t know what that meant for his future. Whether or not he’d be in the cowl.

Cassie didn’t realize that she had probably opened a can of worms on the poor boy, she was merely joking with him. 

“I don’t know what I want to be,” she spoke clearly. “I just know that I don’t want to be pushed back into the shadows.”

Tim’s attention came back to the conversation. Leading him to answer in his usual calm tone, “If you are going to be a sidekick, then you have to get use to the shadows.”

Mount Justice  
April 11, 07:03 EST

Dick had called Tim back from patrol right at sunrise. The older bat wanted him in on a mission that day, but did not go into specifics over the radios. Tim figured that stealth was the name of the game and couldn’t up and refuse going on the mission.

As he turned down the hall that was connected to the Cave’s heart, he could see everybody assembled in the middle of the room. Beast Boy, Lagoon Boy, Bumblebee, and Superboy all stood together looking up at the room’s main holo-screen, with Dick standing directly under them.

While Tim strode towards the group, he caught sight of Gar and La’gaan side-eyeing him. The hint of a smirk on both their faces.

“Talking to your girlfriend?” Beast Boy whispered to Tim in his usual mocking but playful manner.

The lenses of Tim’s mask widened only a little, but his cheeks took on a deep blush at Garfield’s words, “Shut up.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Dick interrupted, his tone harsher than usual. “To reiterate; this mission is stealth only. You are to enter this recently discovered Intergang hideout and gather information on what they’re up to. Your mission starts at midnight, you’ll all meet back here before sundown. Clear?”

Everyone else nodded their heads, “Clear.”

Metropolis  
April 11, 18:16 EST

The warehouse seemed deserted. All the windows on the small two story building were boarded up with paint and wooden boards. The exterior walls held a serious amounts of cracks and all of it’s doors looked as though they had rusted over years ago. Luckily the ventilation shafts were in near perfect condition. Easy for everyone on the team to slip inside the building without making a sound.

Superboy, La’gaan and Beast Boy secured the upper section of the building, letting Tim and Bumblebee scurry down to the bottom level, a garage with a small office attached.

The guards protecting the office’s entrance were easily dispatched by Tim. Whereas Karen slipped under the door of the office to unlock it from within. She would also get a quick recon of the interior to see if there was any information that would be vital for them.

As he knocked out the last of the guards with his swift staff, Tim heard the door’s lock unclick, letting the door swing open. He turned around to see Karen buzzing around the open doorway waiting for him.

“Rob, you’re gonna wanna take a look at this,” her voice lined with worry. 

Tim stepped into the room, following as Karen flew towards the back of the office. Yet as he moved to the back to her, he looked at several tables covered in layers of oceanic and topographical maps. Each map appearing more strange than the last. Tim couldn’t help but become enraptured by the strange hieroglyphs lining every page. Though mostly unknown to him, he could recognize most of them as ancient greek.

“I don’t know what most of these words mean,” Karen spoke. “But I know what this means.”

The tiny heroine tried pushing a clipboard that had been resting on one of the file cabinets towards him. Tim’s eyes skimmed down the page till he found exactly what she had been talking about. His eyes could only widen at the bolded letters: Themyscira.

Garfield paced back and forth on the catwalk waiting for Robin and Bumblebee to return. The longer they spent in the warehouse, the higher the probability of them getting caught grew. Gar had only been on the team for a few months now, and as much as he had adapted to stealth missions, he still did not have the level of patience to fully succeed in them. They had been gone far too long.

Meanwhile, La’gaan watched with a tinge of glee as the little green boy grew more anxious by the minute. He had no desire to get involved with Robin’s infiltration. He was more irritated by the fact that he was sent on this mission in case of a fight breaking out. To the contrary however, the mission was going smoothly and wouldn’t require his help. Instead, he had resigned himself to resting up against one of the back walls while Conner was out checking their perimeter. Gar hoped he wouldn’t run across anymore guards.

A quick break of radio silence rang in Garfield’s ear, “Robin to Superboy. Come in Superboy.”

Another voice was heard over the comm, “I read you. What did you find?”

“Huge plans,” Robin responded. “But we need to get back to the Bio-ship.”

“Acknowledged. Everyone rendezvous back at the Bio-ship. Remain unseen.” 

La’gaan lifted himself off of the wall while Garfield signed in relief. The boy relaxed himself, allowing his body to begin transforming into a small green hummingbird. Before La’gaan could stop him, the bird had slipped away up into the vents above them. The Atlantean shrugged at the kid’s enthusiasm, then jumped up to the vent’s mouth to follow his young comrade. 

Inside the vents, La’gaan finally caught up with Garfield, who had shifted back to his human form. More like his monkey-human hybrid form that he was found of using. La’gaan was a bit taken aback by the thought that the energetic child was kind enough to wait for him.

“You waited for me,” La’gaan murmured. “I’m touched.”

Instead of a “you’re welcome”, Gar raised one of his furry fingers up to his lips, silencing his counterpart. He then pointed downwards towards a slat inside the vent that allowed them to see down into the room below. 

La’gaan watched alongside Gar as several armed Intergang thugs sat around the room, some chatting while others sat waiting for something. Each man was equipped with more firepower than the two heroes had ever seen. Intergang was planning something, big.

“Can’t believe we get all this tech,” one of the goons sneered. 

Another goon turned to the one who spoke, “Yeah all it took was Ugly getting down and kissing Luthor’s boots.”

Gar and La’gaan looked at each other, shock permeating their faces. The green boy’s lips mouthed the word “Luthor?”

Nodding in agreement with what he heard, La’gaan went back to listening to the men below them’s conversation. Everyone had seemed amused with the snide comment on how their boss acquired their new toys. They laughed and pushed one another around with smiles proudly on their faces. 

That was until the door to the room swung open, revealing a stunning young woman with deep red hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Whisper A’Daire.

“And what’s your job around here sweetie?” one of the idiots asked her. The man got up and staggered towards A’Daire until he was invading her personal space. His mouth dangerously close to her ear, his voice trembling with desire. “Cause I got one for you if you need something to do.”

Without batting an eyelash, Whisper calmly replied, “I got a job sweetie,” her knee coming into direct contact with the lower half of the man’s body. “I’m the boss.”

La’gaan and Garfield flinched as they watched the moron fall to the ground, mewling in pain.

Their fear grew as the two felt the vent move after several minutes of their shared weight weakening the shaft. Moving was not an option since that would make the vent break apart, but they could not stay still since their weight would still cause the vent to fall. They were doomed either way.

“Let’s go boys,” her voice as clear and monotone as possible. “We’ve got a job to do.”

“Where are we going boss?” one of the meeker thugs asked. “Ugly didn’t tell us nothing!”

After a moment, Whisper turned back to her men. A reptilian smile appeared on her face, tainting her striking features. 

“The home of the Amazons.”

As the words fell from her mouth, the bolts holding up the ventilation shafts burst. The shaft broke in half between La’gaan and Garfield, sending the latter tumbling towards the ground. A thick cloud of dust gathering up around where the remnants of the vent fell.

Moaning in discomfort, Gar clutched at his head as he got up from the ground. He was a little groggy, but he knew he could not just lay down. As his mind cleared, several large black shapes moved towards him. He had to squint to be able to see any detail of what was in front of him.

Garfield’s eyes nearly bulged at the sight of twenty guards pointing the barrels of their guns down at his face, “Whoops.”

Themyscira  
April 11, 20:34 EEST

Cassie was being led by a slow moving procession of guards towards the same arena where her butt got handed to her by Artemis earlier that day. The long conversation she had with Robin did help her relax a little, but not as much as she would have hoped for. 

This was her final test. The last trial. If her powers failed to reveal themselves then she would be escorted back home by Diana. 

“No pressure,” her subconscious reminded her.

The hundreds of torches that lighted the enormous entryway of the arena gave the place a near spiritual feeling. The bright lighting mixed with the dark shadows perfectly highlighted every corner of the almost five story building. The whole complex’s beauty made Cassie’s heart ache. If only her mother had gotten the opportunity to see Themyscira. She would have fainted.  
As the group passed through the entrance, the sound of people cheering lifted the young girl’s spirits a little. At least her sisters were trying to be optimistic about her test. 

When they entered the ring of the arena, the whole crowd’s cheering grew to an almost deafening level. Cassie smiled as best as she could, but her gaze was fixed upon Diana and Queen Hippolyta herself, standing in the dead center of the floor with two masked archers flanking her and a large marble stone wall right behind her. She also noticed two braziers alight with flames standing within armslength of the archers.

Cassie’s gut turned at the sight, “This sure looks promising.”

The masses commotion did not end until Cassie stood only feet away from Queen Hippolyta. Her majesty was the spitting image of Wonder Woman, only she was fully garbed in deep purple and gold trimming. The golden staff with a proud eagle perched atop was held tightly in Hippolyta’s grip.

Hippolyta must have caught wind of Cassie’s staring, as she raised her staff, letting it stomp on the ground several times creating a large ringing sound throughout the arena. She then pointed to the wall behind her.

“Our most sacred and protected tradition,” she began. Her voice booming as if it was pure thunder. “For millennia we have trained and fought not only with sword and shield, but with our hearts and our minds. We hold honor, bravery, wisdom, and compassion as some of our most important beliefs. And there is honor in the ability to protect what we stand for. Thus we are warriors. Thus we are Amazons!”

The arena burst forth in cheer, encouraged by the benevolent queen. Yet Cassie got a front row seat to bask in the radiance that was the empowering woman.

Raising her hands to silence the crowd, she spoke again, “Our sister Cassandra has come to us from Man’s world to learn our ways and embrace her heritage. And as a test of her skill, we invoke our most sacred of traditions to bring her one step closer to our world,” Hippolyta cried out as a masked woman came towards Cassie holding a pillow on which laid two silver bracelets. 

“Our bracelet, forged from the Shield of Zeus, in memory of our years of enslavement. Our sister shall don the bracelets and protect herself from the flaming arrows.”

Cassie’s face took on a look of pure regret as she watched the two archers assume their positions, placing the tips of their arrows into the flames igniting them.

The woman carrying the pillow pushed the bracelets towards Cassie, “Sister, are you alright?”

Realizing she was being rude, Cassie snapped her head back to the masked woman, “Sorry I kinda zoned out...when...sorry. She said flaming?!”

Diana hurriedly placed the bracelets onto Cassie’s wrists before she had time to question her any further, then tugged her in front of the marble wall.

“You will be alright,” Diana spoke with kindness. Placing her hand onto Cassie’s shoulders in reassurance, she began to back away as the two archers stepped forward. 

Cassie did her best to prepare for the two’s assault. While they pulled on their bowstring’s, the young girl wasted no time in protecting herself. She raised her two gauntlet-clad arms up, similar to how she saw Wonder Woman had on television. Shutting her eyes and breathing deeply, she readied herself.

The two were holding position, Hippolyta lifted her staff before letting it hit the ground creating the ringing sound again. The archers fired.

Strangely enough for Cassie, her mind must have somehow went into shock. The two arrows that had been launched into the air moved as though they had been put into slow motion. The feathers of the flames fanned and recoiled in a twisted dance that would have been beautiful if Cassie’s heart wasn’t racing.

“What in the hell?” Cassie’s mind raced.

The arrows flew towards her making the girl realize that she could defend herself. Moving the bracelets were they needed to be just as the arrows were inches away from contact, Cassie shut her eyes and braced for impact. Two fast moving objects hit her, scaring the living daylights out of the blonde.

But she was not dead.

Opening her eyes, Cassie watched as the whole audience went into an uproar. She did it.

Then out of nowhere came two more archers. 

Before she could even utter a syllable, four flaming arrows came hurtling at her. Unlike the last time though, Cassie’s mind didn’t slow down. The arrows were coming in and they were coming in hot. Not knowing what to do, she backed up against the wall screaming her head off as she braced herself for the pain that was inevitable. 

“Enough!”

Cassie only dared to open one eye as she saw all four arrows had hit different parts of the wall that were dangerously close to her. She saw Diana standing defiantly in front of her, blocking any more arrows from their target. 

Hippolyta, standing her ground quietly spoke the words that spelled the end for the young girl, “She has failed.”

The hush that fell upon the audience would haunt Cassie for the rest of her days. Every Amazon stared at the scene before them with only the wind beating back the banners that had been strung around the arena creating any noise. It was as though all of Themyscira had entered a crypt.

Diana had turned back to Cassie, reaching out her hand only to be smacked away as the girl fled the arena in shame.

She could hear the crying of her name as she ran deep into the jungle, just as well as she could feel the tear streaming down her face. Cassie didn’t care though. 

She had failed.


	11. Flea

Metropolis   
April 11, 18:37 EST

Garfield scooted back several inches as he looked stared down the barrels of the guns before him. One moment he was crouching in the vents listening in on Intergang, the next he was lying on the ground. Exposing himself to the enemy was not how a stealth mission was suppose to go. 

Clicks of hammers perked Garfield’s ears, the image of a common housefly popped into his mind. As soon as the shooting would start, he’d be impossible to hit.

Sure enough, as the guns went off directly at him, Garfield morphed into a fly. Yet right as he was in the middle of his transformation, Superboy burst through the outer walls of the warehouse.

Conner slipped in between the opposing sides, shielding Beast Boy from the enemy fire. The bullets bounced off of his Conner’s skin, but he paid no mind to it. He just had to make sure that Garfield was safe enough to transform.  
Only anything would have been more helpful than a fly.

“Seriously? That’s what you’re going with?” Conner’s voice screaming with annoyance.

The small green fly buzzed right at his head, leading him to take that as a yes.

“Well, then you should go meet up with the others,” Conner yelled at Garfield. The bullets richocheing off of him getting louder with each passing moment. “Tell them I’ll take care of this!”

Garfield fled as Superboy charged into the crowd of thugs before him.

Mount Justice  
April 11, 20:23 EST

Batman paced back and forth in front of the four squad members. Bumblebee and Lagoon Boy stood silently, Robin and Beast Boy both had their heads lowered, no doubt in fear of looking the angered Leaguer in the eye. Superboy was the only one who looked as though they stood by their actions. Nightwing stood a few feet away from the group without saying a word, making the younger members of the squad feel like the whole situation was an execution. Batman had yet to decide who would loose their head first. He made that decision however when he stopped in front of the stoic Superboy. 

“A simple recon mission,” disappointment evident in his tone. “That’s become more of a suggestion than an order with this team.” 

Bumblebee and Superboy smiled a little while Tim swallowed. Batman began his pacing again, to only stop once he had stepped away from the group and was close to Nightwing. 

He sighed heavily, “You not only gave away your position, started a fight that endangered the lives of your team members, and to top it off, you let them escape. But given the information that you acquired, I’d say the mission was not a total loss.”

Nightwing quickly interjected, “Beast Boy, Robin, and Superboy are excused. Get some food, get some shut eye, and report back here tomorrow.”

The three named heroes looked over towards Bumblebee, as she was not named. Pressing the matter any further might have been dangerous as Batman, though given what he wanted, was not pleased about how their mission was carried out. So begrudgingly, the three filed out of the room, leaving their friend behind.

Karen spared no time wondering why she was there, “Sir? Why-”

Batman cut her off, “Intergang will be attacking Themyscira correct?”

“Yes,” Karen stated. “But why-”

“The home of the Amazons is strictly forbidden to outsiders. Wonder Woman however has opened up relations between us and her people. Yet men are not allowed to step foot onto the island. You and several other members of the team will go to Themyscira and offer any aid you can to them. Nightwing will remain here and be in charge of comms.”

Karen smiled, “When do we leave?” She turned her head to see Dick smiling in return, nodding.

Themyscira  
April 11, 21:04 EEST

The jungles of island were a lot less denser than Cassie could have imagined. Instead of being covered in vines, logs, and broken branches, the jungle floor was clean and easy to navigate. Yet it was still thick enough for her not to be spotted by anyone after she escaped from her final trial.

Her failed trial.

Cassie pushed the thought away as she pushed back plants and branches that were in her way. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she could not go back to the arena. Not that she could find her way back though. Every tree looked like every other, there was no marker or anything to tell Cassie if she was walking around in circles. 

Huffing in defeat, she found herself walking over towards a tree that had a decently sized boulder lying down next to it. She was not tired from her walking, but she did want to take a moment to breathe and relax. All her running had gotten her far enough into the jungle that no Amazon could have possibly followed her. Taking a break would not hurt her.

Laying down on the boulder, one knee bent up while the other hung off to the side, Cassie found herself at peace with her surroundings. Closing her eyes, the subtle wind brushing up against the tops of the trees, the distance sounds of birds chirping, and the cooling night air gave her more peace than she had since she arrived on Themyscira. Before she realized it, a smile had started to form on her lips. 

The quiet breeze then suddenly picked up around Cassie. The wind howled, trees bent, even leaves were torn from their branches, scraping at the resting girl’s skin. It’s ferocity almost left cuts on the exposed limbs of her body. 

Shooting up, she covered her face, hoping that the wind would die down. Instead, it turned into a near squall. Cassie was afraid that the force of nature would pick her up and carry her away as if she were a piece of paper.

As her fear grew with each passing moment, the strange act in weather became stranger. The leaves that had pelted her mercilessly diverted around her, parting like the Red Sea. The leaves grew in numerous, becoming two thick waves of pure green closing upon the poor girl. They swept past Cassie towards something behind her. She had to conclude that they somehow wanted to to follow.

Now that she had gathered the courage to see where the leaves were flying to, the unforgiving wind died down enough to let Cassie see where she was walking without her long, blonde hair being slapped across her face. 

She started to hear the distinct sound of water in the distance. Whatever was waiting for her, it was trying to lead her to the island’s cliffs.

Reaching the edges of the jungle, the girl had found herself correct on her assumption. Only two feet separated the jungle from the near 100 foot drop down into the deep water below. 

However, the drop was not what caught her attention. Before her stood the beginnings of an elegant staircase, or an outline of one. Instead of typical stone or wooden steps, it was constructed out of a material that reflected the bright moonlight. It looked as though it was invisible, or camouflaged.

“Wonder where these go,” Cassie’s quietly asked herself.

She tilted her head to look up and see where the staircase led, but the steps only climbed up into the air. Wherever they lead, it was too high and too dark for the naked eye to see. 

Reaching out over the open air, Cassie felt around hoping to find a railing attached to the steps. After a moment she was able to find what she was looking for, and get a tight grip around it.

“Only one way to find out,” she whispered to herself. 

Taking the first step with unease, Cassie climbed the staircase, unsure of her fate.

Mount Olympus  
April 11, 21:52 EEST

Cassie found herself walking inside one of the most vast buildings she had ever encountered. She didn’t know when she left the staircase that ascended into the air for a gargantuan palace, but an odd sense of familiarity filled her. As if she was safe at home in her bed. 

Dozens of towering columns lined the whole way down hall that she stood in, giving off the illusion that the room went on forever. Every inch of the place was carved in pristine white marble. Cassie had to squint her eyes as the general glow of the room was blinding her.

She eventually came across a rather peculiar doorway. Instead of being a monstrous size as befitting the rest of the building, it was sized like an average doorway in her world. The open passage became a siren call to the young girl.

The new room she had stepped into was bathed in even more splendor than the hall outside, as in the dead center of the room sat an unrivaled ivory throne. The seat, though draped with layer upon layer of silks, made Cassie feel that it was the chair of a supreme being. 

A deep baritone voice suddenly boomed, “Who dares to enter the great hall of the gods? 

Cassie stumbled away from the direction of the terrible voice, but as she could not find any good place to hide, she just jumped back and forth in fear and confusion. 

Her moments of uncertainty of what to do left her wide open to be blindsided. A strong burst of wind threw her off of her feet, smacking her backside against the ground. 

“Name yourself mortal,” the incredible voice cried out. “Or you shall face my wrath.”

The blonde quickly got up to her feet, “Cassandra! Cassandra Sandsmark!”

When no other sound came from the one who demanded to know who she was, Cassie decided that she would risk her life and being to look up at the apparent god standing before her. However, no thought of what her reaction to this person came to her mind. Thus, her reaction was unexpected, even to herself. 

Every illustration in her children’s mythology book ran through her mind as she looked upon the giant in front of her. She took little pieces of each drawing and placed them upon the man to see if they matched; curly white and and beard, long flowing himation covering his body with a chiton hiding underneath, and even the cliche golden wreath sitting upon his brow. In her heart, Cassie knew exactly who this man was. It took every ounce of herself not to burst out laughing and say, “Of course.”

Instead, one word slipped from her lips, “Zeus.”

The older man said nothing to confirm nor deny the girl’s statement. A solemn stare was the only thing that she could read from his face. Much different to anger that spewed from his lips moments before. The almost one hundred foot tall man slowly treaded towards his appropriate throne, without uttering a word.

Only after he was firmly settled into his seat did he speak, “Why are you here, mortal?”

“I have no idea,” she spoke truthfully. “I failed my trials with the Amazons and-”

“For what purpose were you on Themyscira?” Zeus queried. His dominating voice echoing off of the stone surrounding him. 

Cassie cleared her throat, “Wonder Wo- Diana, thought that I could have superpowers. She wanted to test me to see if I did have any dormant powers.

Zeus’s face betrayed no emotion, so when he spoke up in an uninterested monotone voice, it worried Cassie.

“And do you have these...superpowers?”

A silence fell between the two, “No, sir.”

The King of the Gods stated steady as a rock while Cassie lowered her head. The memory of her failed test came back to sting her. She could only imagine what the immortal, who just so happened to be her father, was thinking. She must have been a disappointment to him, as history had shown so many of his other children were beyond exceptional. And here she was, a half-mortal hybrid without any powers.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Cassie’s mind. Hercules and Perseus, both children of Zeus who received gifts from their noble father and went on to become heroes of antiquity. It might as well been a pipe dream, but she was willing to try.

“Um...Mr. Zeus, sir?” She asked.

This caught the god’s attention, “Yes?”

“Could you...um…” all the nerve Cassie had completely left her. “I was wondering if you could...allow me to have superpowers.”

Another silence passed.

Cassie realized her request wasn’t good enough, “I want to do good you see, I-I want to help Diana-”

“You dare beg of me to grant you a boon of strength?” Zeus’s voice staying chillingly calm as he stood up from his throne.

If Cassie didn’t already feel like an ant to him, she did then.

She stuttered for a moment, “It doesn’t have to be strength.”

The god only took one step, as it was exactly how far Cassie was away from him. His imposing stature was not enough to cause Cassie to back down though.

“I don’t expect you to do me this favor. Even if you do, I don’t want you to do this for me just because I’m your daughter,” Cassie’s voice rising up to the challenge of not sounding afraid. Yet as she blurted out the word ‘daughter’, she saw his angry expression waver into one of fear. Only for a moment though. “ I want to help Diana in the outside world, and you know I can do it. I bet it takes someone special to get up here in the first place isn’t it?”

One of Zeus’s eyebrows raised up quizzically at the girl’s statement, “You presume much.”

Cassie shrugged, “Maybe, but you didn’t tell me if I was wrong.”

A small chuckle came from the back of Zeus’s throat, “Indeed.”

With that said, the god strode away from Cassie, ready to leave her in the throne room alone once again. 

“I shall consider your request,” his voice taking on richly smooth voice. “You may wait here if you wish.”

Hours after Zeus had left, Cassie stayed firmly in her spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, hope that you all are feeling well. Finally got this up after going AWAL for a while. You know the drill: comments are welcomed, reviews are loved. 
> 
> Cheers,  
> EKG


	12. Unexpected Answers

Themyscira  
April 12, 05:37 EEST

Batgirl sat calmly in her seat as the camouflaged Bioship lowered slowly onto the surface of Themyscira. Barbara half expected for Wonder Woman herself to be there waiting for them, as she knew they were coming. Yet as Barbara stood up from her seat and made her way to the back of the ship towards the cargo hold, she could see none of the island’s famous warrior women. 

The ship’s back wall quickly melted away from it’s intended state into a long ramp, letting Barbara step out into the dense jungle. Thousands of stars still populated the dark skyline, as the sun was not set to rise for a few more hours. 

Barbara turned around to see Beta squad, Bumblebee, Zatanna, Rocket, and Miss Martian standing behind her, scanning the surroundings. Batman wanted all hands on deck, but since Themyscira was an “all girl’s club”, that ruled out half of the team. Now that Artemis had left with Wally, it was just the five of them now. 

Turning on the radio built into her cowl, she listened in as she could hear Nightwing murmuring something away from his radio.

“Miss Martian, set up a telepathic link between us,” Barbara’s tone being relatively hushed. 

M’gann lifted her hand up to her mind, closing her eyes to quickly focus on her task. An alien force rippled through Barbara’s mind, letting her know that the mental link was established. She had been subjected to the feeling countless times, but it still felt strange in her head.

She looked to her team, all eyes were on her, “Alright, we’re here to help the Amazon’s protect the island from Intergang. We don’t know what they want, but it probably isn’t anything good. Miss Martian, Bumblebee, scout ahead of us and see if you can find Wonder Woman or any of the Amazons. Maintain radio silence, use the telepathic link. Nightwing can you hear us? ”

“Loud and clear,” Nightwing replied. “It’s just you guys out there so be careful. I’ll be on here the whole time, any trouble arises radio in. Nightwing out.”

Zatanna looked a little concerned, “I don’t know if I should even ask this, but what about the league?”

“Hawkwoman and Black Canary are indisposed, it’s up to us,” Barbara spoke as M’gann and Karen took to the skies. Before she lost sight of them, Barbara saw M’gann take on her camouflage mode, rendering her almost invisible to the naked eye. She and the rest of the group started to make their way through the jungle.

The ground team broke through the last line of trees after about twenty minutes of walking. A few feet beyond them was an open space, an agora if Barbara was remembering what it was called correctly, were M’gann and Karen stood, un-camouflaged and unmasked, talking to several fully armored Amazons. The knowing smile on M’gann’s green face gave Barbara a bit of a reprieve. At least they wouldn’t be killed by their ancient counterparts anytime soon. 

Rocket and Zatanna were a bit less apprehensive of the warriors than Barbara, as they had already left her side and were speaking with whom Barbara could only guess was the leader of the small band. The helmet she she wore may have covered her face, but it could not hide the luxurious mane of red hair spilling out from the top of it. Her breastplate, gauntlets, even the greaves that covered her legs from ankle to knee glistened in the pale morning light. Her sisters in arms armor combined could not hold a candle to her majesty. 

The woman peeled the helmet off of her head, revealing a war-ridden, yet still beautiful face, “We expected you to arrive somewhere less...hidden on the island.”

“Didn’t want to run the risk of giving away our position,” Barbara replied.

The redhead huffed. She took a few steps around the group, but motioned them to follow her. Barbara caught up to the woman, walking side by side. 

“Princess Diana tells us that this Intergang is nothing but a minor pestilence,” The woman quietly said to Barbara. “Your arrival is unwarranted; Amazons can handle their own battles.”

Barbara heard Rocket scoff at the woman’s remark, “You wouldn’t even know about them if we didn’t tell you.”

The woman walked onward, ignoring Rocket’s snide comment. Barbara did not wish to have their groups fighting each other instead of their common enemy.

“I don’t believe we introduced ourselves, I’m-”

“Batgirl,” The woman interrupted. “Yes, your friend, the martian told me of you. I am Artemis of Bana-Mighdall.” 

Barbara walked in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say, “Intergang may be a small organization to you, but they are anything but a minor nuisance. They have technology that could destroy half of the island if given the chance.”

“But they won’t,” Artemis stated. “Not as long as there is something here that they want. Which your team has been kind enough to not tell us what exactly it is that they are look for.”

“Are there any weapons on the island that would catch a fair price on the Black Market?” M’gann asked.

“The whole island is an archaeologist's dream, everything here is worth a fortune,” Karen whispered to M’gann.

Barbara leaned in close to Artemis, “Have any of the islanders reported seeing anything? Ships? Aircraft? Scouts?”

Artemis nodded, “An aircraft was heard, but not seen. Can I assume that was your ship?”

“Yes,” Barbara’s voice sounding a little relieved. They had at least some time to prepare for the fight then. “See to it that any items of worth or power are hidden away, or that they are given more security. We can guess that a major attack force with penetrate the island while a smaller group of operatives will try to go for anything of value.”

Artemis shook her head, “They might be after one specific object. Trying to find anything the heathens might want and hiding them will take time-”

“Intruders,” screamed a soldier running towards the group. “Unknown ships are approaching the island, and in great numbers!”

All the members of Beta squad looked to each other, then to Batgirl, who was preoccupied with waiting for a reply from Artemis.

Sighing, the redhead turned to Barbara, “And it appears we have run out of time.”

Mount Olympus  
April 12, 05:58 EEST

Zeus’s departure had turned from a few minutes into several hours. Now if it were any other person in the world, Cassie’s short attention span would have demanded her to up and leave after her first hour of solitude. 

She did spend the first few hours pacing the vast space that the King of the gods had left her in. After she grew tired, she picked a spot up against one of the ancient columns that adorned the outskirts of the room. Playing with the fraying hem of the stola she was wearing, adjusting her sandals, braiding, and then un-braiding her hair fed into her ever-growing boredom. She tried anything to keep herself from going insane. 

It did disappoint Cassie a little that Zeus’s deliberation was anything but short. She had hoped that her honest request would garner her a little respect in the eyes of the God of lightning, but that remained to be seen. All she could do in the meantime was hope that she wouldn’t be forgotten about.

Her eyes began to fall closed as earthshaking footsteps drew close to the nearly-sleeping girl. She scrambled to get back up to her feet as Zeus made a grand re-entrance. 

The enormous god took his place upon his perfect throne, the very idea of fear and respect combined into one image. Cassie noticed that he could relax in his seat, but he instead chose to sit with his back straight as an arrow, and his hands clutching the ends of his throne’s arms. Cassie strode towards him, stopping in the middle of the room a couple dozens of feet back so that she won’t have to crane her neck so far back that she might hurt herself. He only looked down with judgement clearly written on his face.

“I have considered your request, Cassandra,” he spoke without a shred of care in his voice. “And I shall not grant it.”

No measurement could detail just how low Cassie’s heart sank. Confusion and disappointment filled her up inside. So much so that her face oozed of her distress.

“What? I-I mean...What?” her voice cracked. “Why not, sir?”

“Do not presume to question my decision, mortal,” Zeus spoke with such audacity, that his words took on as much power as the lightning he controlled. Cassie had to take a few steps back as he had stood up in his outburst. “My answer is, no.”

The girl could only stare as the god gathered himself up and sat back down again. He raised his hand, shooing her away. “You have my leave to go.”

Cassie turned back to the entrance of the throne room, another disappointment. Another failure on her part. 

“No,” a deep voice whispered deep within Cassie’s mind. “This is not your fault. It is his. Demand what is rightfully yours.”

The blonde stopped dead in her tracks. The strange voice hit a nerve in her mind, though not her conscious, the strange presence gave voice to her innermost desires. She turned back to Zeus and marched right up to him.

“I want to know why, sir,” she demanded. “I don’t know how on earth I got here, but I am and I will not let you push me around, leave me alone for hours, then just say no without a reason. Give me that at least, and I’ll be out of your hair forever.”

Zeus looked down on the girl, in absolute silence. There was a quick tinge in his lips, which Cassie was able to catch. She could have sworn that it was a hint of a smile, but she wasn’t sure. She just stood her ground against the seated giant.

“Be careful to whom you speak to, girl. To anyone else, your tone could be taken as...childish.”

Cassie nodded in response.

The old god cleared his throat, “You show true potential, Cassandra. Any god or mortal could see that. You are strong, fearless, intelligent, and quick-minded. You have the makings of a great hero within you. And like the beginnings to many a hero, you lack that which must be earned.”

“What’s that?” Cassie asked.

“Worth,” Zeus said plainly. “I see that you are capable of much, child, but you are not yet worthy of receiving the gifts you have asked for.”

Nodding her head once again, Cassie understood her mission.

“So, all I have to do is prove to you that I am responsible enough to get superpowers?”

Zeus rose from his throne, “Yes. Show that you are courageous of heart and mind, and your boon shall be rewarded to you.”

This time as the god walked out of the room, Cassie made a mad dash out the entrance, back towards the stairs that brought her to Olympus in the first place. She was ready to prove that she was worthy not only to the gods or Diana, but to herself.

Themyscira  
April 12, 06:16 EEST

Apokoliptian tanks rolled across the agora, smashing any column, fountain, or market stall that stood in their way. The same could be said for the ground soldiers for Intergang, as they cautiously marched around and behind the tanks nervous, and rightfully so. The squads had received no interference from the islanders, in fact, there were no one around. They had all vanished. 

The soldiers passed through the ancient city with a deep sense of dread hanging over them. The towering marble buildings and temples became eerily similar to the ruins of it’s descendants in Athens and Delphi. Where had the Amazons gone?

Whisper A’Daire lifted up the hatch of the tank she was riding in. The march of their men and the roll of their gifted machinery were the only things that penetrated the haunting silence of the island. She had heard that the inhabitants of the island were and remain the fiercest warriors alive, but Whisper’s charge had went unchallenged.

“Keep your eyes open,” Whisper murmured to her troops. “They’re out there somewhere.” 

Right as those words passed through her lips, a large spear zoomed past her face so fast she could feel the sharp tip slice off the ends of the hair centimeters away from her face. The spear slammed into the ground in front of the tank, destroying the cobbled ground it touched. 

“Amazons! Hold your positions,” Whisper screamed. Finally, a fight.

From every corner, warrior women clad in armor that should have been ancient, but instead was glistening like the sun. Each held a plethora of archaic weapons ranging from swords to bows and arrows. 

A chill ran through the opposing crowds. No one dared move during the standoff. It only stopped when one of the Amazons raised up her enormous shield, took the staff that was strapped to her back, and with the combination, began to tap on the shield. The tapping rang out across the grounds, making Whisper’s men uneasier with each passing moment.

One by one, the tapping grew louder. The Amazon next to her started to hit her shield, and then the woman standing next to her started too as well. This continued down the line, to every warrior until the whole agora was in a man-made thunderstorm of shields clashing.

A women close to Whisper’s tank raised up a sword that was nearly as tall as its wielder, and thrusted it towards the invaders. Though her voice was drowned out by the sea of smashing shields, her sisters knew that she had cried out for them to attack. 

The Amazons sprung from their collected spaces, racing towards the tanks that were sitting ducks. The men too stunned to fully realize the peril that they were in. They quickly learned that they were no match for the Grecians. Intergang may have held the technological advantage, but Whisper surveyed the battle going on, and saw that they were a mere puddle going up against wave after wave of fighters. Her men were outnumbered. Badly.

It was a good thing Ugly requested some back up from Luthor.

Whisper ducked back down into the tank, “Ugly! We’re gonna need your friend.” 

Across the inside of the tank, her captain looked up at her, a deep-seated smirk spread across his face, “About time.” The man turned away, looking back to as small alcove in the tank where a deep rumbling was heard. It may have sounded much like the rolling bomb shelter that they were in, but it was human. 

“Blockbuster, do what your advertisement promised. Destroy.”

As Barbara had suspected, Intergang wasn’t that much of a challenge. Their members, although most of them had done time, in a battle they were nothing more than armed thugs. Nothing that her, her teammates, and the hundreds of Amazons couldn’t handle. With how much their were kicking butt, the fight was actually starting to become more comical if anything. 

She quickly learned that she spoke too soon. The sudden jarring sound of something big and metal pierced Barbara’s ears with immense ferocity. Raising her gloved hands up to head, trying to block out the near excruciating noise. She looked around the battlefield for her team, each one of them locking in the fight with some goon, not noticing what was causing Barbara such discomfort. She looked back to where the sound was coming from, seeing that one of the clearly not-of-earth tank’s cargo holds was opening, revealing something that was not mentioned in the mission brief.

The blue hulking monstrosity stepped out of the tank, his unforgettable red eyes staring directly at Barbara. Every step he took outside made Barbara feel the very ground she stood on tremble from the creature that stalked towards her. Though she was frozen in place, she gave no mind to the fight that raged around her. Her thoughts did drift to her teammates, hoping that one of them would notice the nightmare before her. To take down the behemoth, she would need all the help she could get. 

Turning to her radio she spoke, “Nightwing, we got company. It’s Blockbuster.”

Mount Justice  
April 11, 21:16 EST

The lenses on Nightwing’s mask widened as Batgirl’s words rang out through the Cave’s main room. He calmly searched through the report on the recon mission to Intergang earlier that night, which made no mention of the Light’s volatile enforcer being involved in their operation. But Dick could not complain about his team’s surprise on Themyscira, he could only adjust to the new reality of the situation. 

“Batgirl, warn the Amazons. They can handle him, but only if they work as a unit.”

“Acknowledged,” the girl spoke through the radio. “Batgirl out.”

An unexpected feeling of anxiety bloomed in the room around Dick, but he was not the one dealing with the sensation. He turned back from the projected screens he was facing, to the young boy wonder standing behind him with worry tattooed across his face. 

“Worried?” Dick spoke in keeping to his charismatic nature. He had to keep his brother from feeling easy about the situation. Sure, Tim was strong as the came and didn’t usually give in to fear, but that didn’t mean that Dick could look as scared as he was feeling at the moment. 

Tim whispered, “Cassie’s on the island.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, we’re coming up on the end of this part and continuing onward. Please do leave comments or reviews, as it does give me motivation to get these chapters done faster. 
> 
> Wishing the best,  
> EKG


	13. Means of Persuasion

_ Themyscira _

_ April 12, 06:27 EEST _

 

The rest of Beta squad slowly set their gazes on the creature a few yards away from them, each gaining a slither of fear running down their spines. Usually the Light stayed a mile out of Intergang’s affairs, but if they were willing to hand over Blockbuster; who or what else was at their disposal?

“Change of plans,” Barbara’s inner thoughts burst through the mental link as she looked around her, trying to get the attention of her friends back to her. “We need every available Amazon to take Blockbuster down now. Hopefully that’ll distract him long enough so that one of us can slip away and find out what Intergang’s really after.”

“That might be a little hard,” Rocket’s voice jumping through the psychic channel. 

“We have to try,” M’gann said as she used to telekinesis to throw two goons into one another. 

Try as they might, it felt as though taking down one foe, two would suddenly appear from out of nowhere. As all Amazons dogpiled on Blockbuster, Beta would have to take care of all the foot soldiers. But both groups were having problems. 

“This is just getting annoying,” Zatanna’s inner voice spoke. She was avoiding all shots taken at her by disarming every man with a gun that got within three feet of her. The Apokoliptian weapons that were present were a bit more of a problem for her though.  She didn’t recognize a few of them, which meant they could surprise her with anything. The backwards spells that spilled from her lips were almost too slow to finish before something foreign would fly towards her head. If her and her team were to win, they needed a new strategy and fast. 

“Behind you,” cried an unknown voice from behind Zatanna. The magician ducked down, narrowly avoiding the swing of a crude sword. The man who tried to take the fatal blow was swiftly shot putted 20 feet in the air. His cartoonish attempts to flap like a bird against the wind were as ungraceful as they were funny.  His untimely landing only added to the comedy. 

Barbara looked over just at the right time as Zatanna did, as they both looked upon Wonder Woman, the Champion of the Amazons standing before them in all her glory. Her clean and pristine Grecian armor looked ripe for a battle. 

“I was not made aware of your arrival,” Diana spoke with her usual firmness. “Had I known, this battle would have ended a lot sooner.”

Wonder Woman then jumped right back into the fight, mowing down opponent one after the other. She tore her lasso from her side, wrangling together a dozen men before throwing them away from the fight. 

One man that thought he could sneak up behind the obviously occupied warrior, handgun cocked and ready for attack. Barbara took sight of the man only seconds before he pulled the trigger, she whipped out one of the batarangs hidden away in her utility belt, throwing out towards the man while screaming out, “Wonder Woman, behind you!”

She needn’t have worried, the man had pulled the trigger, letting the bullet within fly directly at Diana’s head. No earthly speed could stop it from hitting it’s target.

Luckily, Wonder Woman possessed unearthly powers. She saw the bullet from out of the corner of her eye, and had just enough time to knock out the man she had subdued moments before, and raise her gauntlet-covered wrist up to her forehead. The bullet singed as it came into contact with the metal of the bracelet, sparks flying around Diana as though she were a blacksmith hard at work. She rerouted the bullet to come crashing down onto the ground before her. 

The unfortunate man who had just tried to kill Wonder Woman looked upon her with astonishment. His grasp on his weapon weakened only for a moment, but a moment long enough for her to see fear splashed on his face. She stalked towards him, her eyes never leaving his. The grimace that Diana wore was alone by itself scary enough to make the man want to run for the hills. 

He back up a few feet, but he was not fast enough to get away from her. She stood before him, her well over six foot stature towering over him. The pure intimidation caused him to lower his weapon, even in his fear-overloaded mind, he knew the gun would be of no use to him. 

She didn’t agree with that though, she snatched the weapon from his hands, maintaining perfect eye contact at all times.

He stayed glued to his spot as the sound of metal bending and snapping surrounded them. The stern look on her face was wiped away within a moment, giving way to quick smirk. She handed back the crushed weapon, before swiftly disappearing.

* * *

 

Cassie weaved through the dense forest, trying to make it back to the city. She could imagine that her running off and rather long disappearance would not be appreciated by the Amazons. Though the women were an understanding and accepting lot, they did not tolerate childish behavior. As much as Cassie didn’t want to admit it, she knew that she was wrong to up and split the arena after she failed her final trial. The women had been nothing but helpful to her, but she was blinded by her fear of failure to truly appreciate them. 

Hopefully, she could make it up to the Amazons. 

If she could do right by them, and beg Diana to continue training her, then she could possibly still be a hero. 

_ “Like Robin…”  _ a soft voice spoke in the back of Cassie’s mind. She did not want to open that can of worms at the moment. 

She came to a stop at the crest of the hillside, looking down upon the city she had run away from. Through the morning fog, the ancient stone structures that sat comfortably in their surrounds were something out of myth. The soft morning glow had begun to show. The whole area was bathed in brilliant color, from the mountains hiding the city, to the cobblestone streets, even up to the treasury, sitting high up on a hill on the far side of the city. Cassie couldn’t help but think that her mother would shed a tear of joy from the site. 

Strange loud noises erupted from the city below. The young girl could have sworn that the commotion was similar to firecrackers, but cranked up to ten. The sounds only grew louder as Cassie’s eyes drew upon several bursts of light shone out far across the other side of the city. They were coming from the agora, Cassie guessed. 

“Looks like something’s wrong,” she noted to herself. She started to find her way down the hill,  “Better go check it...out?” Cassie stopped in her tracks as something had caught her eye. 

From her distance, what looked like a group of ants were not near where the disturbance was. Instead, they were on their way up to the safely nestled treasury. Suspicion began to boil in Cassie’s stomach.

* * *

 

The main doors of the treasury were blasted off in a matter of moments. The solid bronze should have been a major hassle, but Ugly was carrying enough explosives to take out a city. Any guards that were positioned in the front of the hall were taken out with the blast, making Ugly and Whisper’s job easier.

“We got about 5 minutes before someone realizes we’re in here,” Ugly proclaimed. “Let’s grab what we came for and beat it.”

A dozen of his goons ran past him, tearing apart the building searching for their prize. Ugly placed the remainder of the explosives he brought back into his satchel, careful to also be weary of the deactivated trigger.  He strolled past a destroyed wall, which must have held secret compartments to hide the Amazon’s treasures. Hundreds of golden coins covered the marble floor. Ugly bent down to the floor, grabbing a handful of the coins before slipping them into his pocket. He couldn’t help himself.

“You’re lucky you didn’t bring the roof down, boss,” Whisper spoke. Not even trying to hide her sarcasm. 

Ugly grimaced at his colleague, “Zip it, A’Daire. Make yourself useful and find the lasso.”

* * *

 

Blockbuster threw off the last Amazon holding him down. Taking hold of her leg, he made her body go smashing into the ground, creating a small crater. The behemoth let out a blood-curdling yell, more monstrous than man.  

The creatures ability to take down any Amazon that came near him, even the mighty Artemis, made everyone form a circle around the beast. If he took a step in any direction, the circle would increase by about thirty feet. 

Barbara kept out of reach for Blockbuster, as she was a little too preoccupied with one of Ugly Mannheim’s underlings. He had managed to hold his own for about forty seconds, but he was still no match for Batgirl. Barbara performed a perfect roundhouse kick, knocking him out cold. 

As the man fell to the ground, not a foot away, Wonder Woman casually strode by. Barbara stood in awe of her for a moment. The picture of calmness in a storm, Diana walked through the insanity that consumed the area, dead set on walking right up to Blockbuster. She was ready to end this.

Every fight that happened around her died out as she took the final steps to him. A creepy smirk appeared on the monster’s chalky-blue skin. He must have already figured out in his head out this fight would turn out. 

Diana calmly pulled her lasso loose from her belt, wrapping the end of it around one of her hands, pulling it tight with the other. She waited in silence.

Blockbuster took the first swing, totally missing as she swerved around the enormous fist. She immediately ran between his legs, using her knees to slide through, ending up behind him. Enraged, he swung his other arm around, hoping to clothesline Diana. 

Of course, he was too slow. She maneuvered around his range, staying behind him long enough to jump up onto his shoulders, her legs thrown around the thing’s neck. She wrapped her lasso around Blockbuster’s neck as well, pulling it tighter by the second, choking him. 

Not taking her attack lying down, Blockbuster threw his arms around crazily, trying to knock her off. Diana held on though, keeping a firm grip on the creature as his movements started to slow down. 

Barbara seized the moment, “Everyone, bring him down!”

The rest of beta squad swarmed the giant. Rocket quickly formed a bubble around Wonder Woman and the beast, if he were to break free of Diana, he wouldn’t be able to get out of the force bubble.  Barbara pulled out some of her grapple rope, hoping that it would be strong enough to hold him down. She threw it up to M’gann who moved the rope around the creature, securing his arms to his torso. 

Bumblebee started shooting at Blockbuster’s legs, pushing herself as much as she could to bring him down. A telekinetic push courtesy of Miss Martian was that missing ingredient, as the mighty creature’s bruised and bloodied feet gave way. 

Crashing to his knees, Blockbuster only stayed up for a few moments as he had already lost too much oxygen to his brain. His dead, soulless red eyes drifted downward, as did he. Barbara nodded to Rocket, letting the bubble dissolve away. It wasn’t needed anymore. With a monumental thud, he crashed onto the agora’s stone-covered floor. 

For extra measure, Zatanna raised her gloved hand towards the unconscious thing, “ _ Dinb mih nwod _ .”

A cloud of smoke revealed coils of rope wrapping around what the rest of the team had used to subdue Blockbuster. 

The rest of the foot soldiers quickly surrendered after they saw their champion be taken down. Barbara watched as one by one, they dropped their weapons into a pile before the Amazons. After that, they were escorted to what Barbara could only imagine was holding cells. There was no way they could all go back on the Bioship. 

Diana rose up once she was sure her opponent was down for the count, tying up her lasso back to her belt. She looked as though she hardly broke a sweat. 

“Thank you for your assistance,” she spoke.

Barbara nodded, “Couldn’t have done it without-” a sudden clicking of her earpiece, her attention was drawn away. “Yeah?”

“Batgirl, what happened?” Nightwing demanded to know.

Wonder Woman walked over to Barbara, looking down on her, “Intergang.”

“Is the island secured?” Nightwing asked.

Barbara looked to Diana, who was otherwise being distracted. Turning her head to where Diana was looking, Barbara could see an Amazon, one she did not recognize, running straight for Wonder Woman. Barbara’s curiosity kicked in, “I’ll call back.” 

“Batgirl wait-” Nightwing was able to say just as the commlink was being turned off. 

Barbara ran up to Diana, noting that the warrior’s face had taken on a look of worry. She got to her right as the unknown Amazon got to her. Panting heavily, the woman was able to spit out her message, “Your highness, intruders...have...breached the treasury.”

Diana turned to look at Barbara, then turned her attention towards the direction of the treasury. 

* * *

 

Most of the treasury had been ransacked, and no sign of the lasso was found. Whisper started to feel a little agitated. Luthor said that the lasso would be hidden, but he didn’t mention that they would have to tear down the whole building to find it.

Whisper passed by several of her men using some of the weapons laying throughout the treasury to hack through parts of the walls they thought were hollow. They proved to be right, as they had found the resting place of some gilded objects. There was an abundance of tools, armor, and weapons; but no lasso. 

She strolled into a large antechamber that one goon told her was just a gallery of statues. Any finery that was strung on the statues or placed on their altars was taken, naturally, but something drew Whisper into the room. 

It seemed to be a shrine to all of the goddesses of myth, as Whisper walked by two eight feet tall statues of women that she recognized as Aphrodite and Demeter. The statues varied in size around the room, Whisper guessed that the more important goddesses got the bigger statues. 

The smallest of the statues, was a bit of a joke compared to the towering marble constructions surrounding it. The statue was barely a foot tall, with a thick octagonal base. Sitting right next to it was the beautiful likeness of Aphrodite. The poor thing was a pale comparison next to its neighbor’s magnificence. The only reason that the statue was even near eye level was that it was situated on top of a large black granite podium. The small womanly bronze figure adorning the top of it was standing in a natural, yet alluring fashion. 

Whisper did not know who the figure was suppose to represent, but she studied the statue, almost feeling sorry for it’s minuscule size. The goddess must not have been that important. Whisper reached her hand out to touch the figure.

Suddenly, a loud crash startled Whisper, causing her arm to collide with the piece, sending it along with it’s podium crashing to the floor. Due to Whisper’s instincts, she bent down thinking she’d hide the fact she destroyed an over two thousand year old statue. 

As she touched a piece of the shattered artwork, Whisper realized that the little bronze woman was more than she was letting on. Beneath the remains, was a dusty, but still glistening gold rope. 

“Jackpot,” Whisper said to herself.

* * *

 

One of Ugly’s men came running towards him, “Sir, our main force has been captured. The Amazon’s know we’re here and are on their way!”

Ugly sneered at the man, “Then this was a waste of time!”

“I wouldn’t say that,” a voice cut in.

Ugly turned himself to face whomever spoke, his eyes caught onto a shimmering coil of gold rope in the hands of his most trustworthy lieutenant. He looked up to her face, “Where’d you find that?”

“Little bird told me,” Whisper quipped. She tossed the lasso towards her boss, “Let’s get out of here.”

The last few of Ugly’s men rushed out to join their boss in the main room of the treasury, ready to leave. Ugly started to walk back to the destroyed front door, carefully slipping the lasso into a side pocket of his satchel. 

A hand suddenly grabbed onto his arm, causing him to look up towards the now blocked doorway. In it stood a blond petite girl, dressed as though she was reenacting 300. 

“Excuse me, but I’m gonna have to ask you to put that back,” the girl said as she pointed towards Ugly. Towards the lasso. 

Ugly’s grip on the lasso tightened, “Look sweetie, you can move out of the way, or we can make you.”

The girl did not seemed at all tempted by his offer. Her stance widened, while her fists became clenched, “That lasso is not yours.”

“I won’t ask again,” Ugly’s voice grew darker, “Move.”

* * *

 

Cassie didn’t know what to expect as she was running towards the treasury, but she was not expecting to find looters for sure. She was too late to stop them from blasting the front doors right off the place, but she would not let them run off with anything that wasn’t theirs. In her mind, she would only have to keep them from making a getaway long enough for the other Amazons to see that the treasury was in trouble. 

When she got to the top of the hill which the treasury sat on, she spotted two masked men guarding the front of the building. She was lucky enough to dodge behind a column before either of them saw her. 

Moving around the column, she noticed a small rock sitting near her foot. Forming an idea, she grabbed the rock, and chucked it across the building, making it hit the ground several yards away from her. 

That seemed to get the guards attention, as they both looked to where the rock had landed, giving Cassie enough time to sneak up behind the two. 

“What was that?” one guard said to the other.

The other turned to him, “I don’t kn-” 

Cassie swung her arm around, letting her fist hit the dead center of the guard’s face. The other guard saw the attack, but could do nothing to help his friend as Cassie quickly ducked down, using her leg to sweep the man’s legs out from under him. When he hit the ground, she grabbed hold of his hoodie’s collar, knocking him out with one punch. 

After she pulled the two men around the corner of the building, she took the few weapons they had on them and tossed them down the hillside. 

She slinked back to the entrance, knowing that there were definitely more soldiers inside. Ones that were not a gullible as the ones left that were left to guard the outside. Cassie leaned close to the front, hoping to overhear someone inside.

“Then this was a waste of time,” a man screamed.

Cassie sighed in relief, whatever the thieves were looking for wasn’t there. 

Her joy though disappeared when a female voice spoke up, “I wouldn’t say that,” 

Doing her best not to be seen, Cassie peaked around the doorway, looking upon around ten people standing in the treasury’s main room. The only woman in the bunch, a long red head whose hair was tied back into a low ponytail held up a thick coil of gold rope. Cassie’s eye bulged out of her head, “The Lasso of Truth,” she whispered. Great. The bad guys had Wonder Woman’s lasso. 

“Where’d you find that?” one of the men asked.

“Little bird told me,” she answered. The woman threw the rope to the man who queried her about the lasso,  “Let’s get out of here.”

Cassie watched as twenty more men entered the room, carrying an array of gold and silver items. She turned away from the scene, hoping that none of them caught a glimpse at her. 

Leaning up against the exterior wall, Cassie knew that she had to stop them before they made off with the Amazonian treasures. The small amount of training she received from the Amazons would expect nothing less.  Though taking on at least thirty people all at once was not an exercise that her fellow warrior women were willing to teach her. Taking a few deep breaths, Cassie stepped out in view of the robbers.

* * *

 

“I won’t ask again,” Ugly’s voice grew darker, “Move.”

Cassie stood her ground as the thieves started to move around her, trying to cut her off. By the time she would be done with them, they’d be running for the door.  

A few of them reached to wherever their weapons were placed, but none took their eyes off of the young blonde. 

Remembering her training, Cassie’s stance lowered to keep her near the ground. She was a coil ready to spring into action at the slightest movement. Her eyes caught onto the man who was clearly the leader of the thieves.

“You’re going to regret coming here,” she stated full with confidence. 

“Not as much as you will,” he replied. Ugly reached into his satchel, and pulled out a small pistol that looked normal in it’s design, but it had a few lines of red light along the edges and barrel of it that screamed alien to Cassie. 

Ugly pointed the gun straight at Cassie, ready to fire. Clenching her fists, she was ready to dodge this bullet.

An unknown voice burst out screaming, “No!” 

Cassie’s head swung around instantly.

Outside beyond the building’s ruined entrance was a small group of women, mostly made up of Amazonians freshly bathed in blood from battle. Yet the group had just as many familiar faces as opposed to foreign ones. Standing with them was Diana and shockingly, Batgirl.

“What?” Cassie asked.

Her question went unanswered as a loud clicking sound erupted from out of Cassie’s view. She turned to see a blaring red light flash flying towards her, before knocking her out in an instant.

Her body hurtled back a few feet before crashing into one of the only unscathed columns in the room. The speed at which she was traveled made the column break in two upon impact. She fell to the ground, right as the top half of the column smashed right above her. Pinning her to the ground, unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope the chapter was okay, it's been on the backburner for a while as I'm trying to get my pilot off of the ground. We're almost done with this part of the story, so get ready for part 2 which will deal with YJ's main storyline. 
> 
> Reviews and or comments are appreciated.
> 
> Cheers,  
> EKG


	14. Progress

Themyscira  
April 12, 08:57 EEST

Barbara stared in silence as the dust settled. Her eyes were fixated on the small, unmoving body crushed underneath enormous slabs of broken marble. 

Ugly turned his attention from the destroyed column to the group just outside the front doors. The smile that curled up on his features could make skin crawl. After a few seconds of looking at the disgusting man’s horrid features, Barbara noted that his nickname fitted him perfectly.

“Looks like your friend wasn’t as tough as she thought she was,” Ugly quipped. He swung his strange pistol around his finger, as though it were weightless. “Can’t be too tough if you’re taken out with one shot.”

His words were grating enough, but he just had to add a thick layer of smugness to it.

“Apokoliptian weapon, twelve o’clock,” Karen spoke with a hushed tone.

Ugly must have somehow heard her, as he naturally gestured to the pistol, “Like it?” he asked. “It’s a gift from an old business partner.”

“I didn’t know you had friends,” Rocket interjected.

Barbara stayed dead silent as her eyes jumped back and forth from Ugly, to the young girl now squashed underneath the column. 

“Can’t risk making a run towards Cassie,” she thought. “Have to get them out of the temple.”

Diana seemed to have read her mind, “You will return all that you have stolen and leave this place.”

All of Ugly’s men, even Whisper, seemed to ponder her words. They all stood in their places, as though they were statues. They were completely surround by a vast number of Amazons and superheroes. A few of the minor pawns hidden behind their masks looked to one another silently asking, “Is it really worth it?”

Ugly seemed to think on that question as well. Even though it was hidden away in the depths of his appalling face. His eyes never leaving the groups, he reached into a pocket of his satchel, clamping onto a coil of golden rope, shimmering in the sunlight. It would have been beautiful, if it hadn’t been for the man holding it to taint it’s innocent beauty.

Raising it up towards Barbara and the rest of beta squad, “Recognize this?”

Barbara looked at the lasso, it’s features though beautiful, were foreign to her.

“The Lasso of Persuasion,” Diana declared, immediately recognizing the object. “It has the power to compel its victims to do whatever its wielder desires.”

Barbara took in Diana’s words. Her mind running a thousand miles an hour, “If that was what Intergang was after, then it’s trouble for everyone. Now not only do we have to get the thugs out of the building, but we also have to get the lasso away from Ugly.”

“Exactly,” Ugly’s voice shouted, interrupting Barbara’s thoughts. “Imagine, me getting anyone on the planet to do what I want. The heads of any government giving Intergang immunity. Billionaires signing over their fortune to me. I could even wrap this around one of your leaguers, and they’d have to do my bidding.”

Half of the team stood in silence. M’gann and Zatanna looked at one another, shock dominating their faces. Karen and Rocket were about the same, but all their pain was not visible. Only their eyes gave away their anxiety over the scenario. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mount Justice  
April 12, 1:57 EST

In the same state of shock that his fellow teammates were in, Nightwing stood at his console. He had heard every word, and absorbed it all. He could do nothing else. He was an ocean away and was of very little use to beta squad, and to Barbara.

Still, he was constantly told by that very person he was never of any real use to her. Her tone, always playful, yet in this circumstance it was true. He could give advice through the comms, but it would be only advice that Barbara would have already thought of. Therefore, he was still pointless.

All he could do was hope for the best.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

In their Mexican standoff, all the women of beta squad stood staring down at their enemies, ready to take action whenever the moment called for it. A few of them were still reeling from the idea of one of the most dangerous groups in the world getting their hands on a weapon that could enslave anyone they choose, yet they all stood firm together.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fence stood Ugly, with a smirk on his lips that could curdle milk, “Think of what I could do if I had Wonder Woman as one of my top lieutenants,” Ugly’s voice sounded a bit too pleased with the idea. “Or maybe I could do more if I had Superman under my heel?”

Diana could not stand for this, she stepped away from the group, standing halfway between her compatriots and her foes, “Yet whoever commands the lasso must have a strong sense of will. You of all people would be foolish to wield it.”

Ugly huffed as he let the rope in his hand slowly uncoil, the majority of it falling to the ground. His goons all around felt the shift in his mood, causing them to raise up their weapons ready to attack at their leader’s command. 

M’gann suddenly felt a strange presence around her mind. Something ancient, yet radiating power. Something that long dormant had just been woken up. The feeling was so strong that she had to rest her hand against her forehead to try and relieve the migraine that was starting to cloud her mind.

She tried to speak, “Guys-”

“Take them!” Ugly screamed right before an enormous column of rock was hurtled towards his men, taking out at least ten of them in one swift movement. The rock along with the men collided into the opposite side of the room, ending with a huge plume of smoky grey dust kicking up all around them.

Those who were able to avoid getting covered in the dust looked immediately towards the direction in which the airborne column came from. The others who the dust had gotten them teary in the eye or coughing, tried to get over their ailments to get a look as well. 

Standing all alone, arms drooping down to her feet and breathing so heavily she was almost heaving, was Cassie. Battered and bruised, but not beaten. 

The whole room stood there breath taken away. 

“She...she should have been crushed!” Barbara’s mind screamed. 

All the members psychic link that connected all of beta seemed to say the same thing. Even though their opponents were not privy to the knowledge of what was going on in the girl’s minds, their dumbstruck faces seemed to reverberate the general feeling of the room.

Heaving a little less than she was a few seconds ago, Cassie tried to swallow a bit of her own saliva before she could speak, “Ow.”

Ugly and Whispered watched in horror as the team ran over to their teammate, trying desperately to make sure that there was no permanent damage done to her. Whisper was just flat out shocked that the girl could survive a marble column falling on her. While Ugly’s anger that the dumb girl was nothing but a little cockroach who could crawl away from anything. 

“She might be of some use…” the voice in Ugly’s head whispered. His hand tightened on the golden rope, waiting for the right moment to strike. 

All the girl’s attentions were wrapped around their weakened friend, checking for bruises or anything that might signal something wrong internally. 

Diana’s hands brushed away all the dirt and rubble that plastered Cassie’s face, “Are you alright? Anything hurt?” Her voice shaken with fear. It was a rare sight to see Wonder Woman so frightened.

Cassie, a little too weak to form a full sentence, nodded her head so fast as though she were afraid she would die without answering Diana’s question. Half of her body quivering from the strain she was putting on her muscles. As the moments passed though, she felt her body growing stronger. 

The blond turned her head towards Ugly’s band of misfits, which was soon followed by the rest of her friends. 

The gang of goons looked out in abject confusion. Each one of them gripped the weapons they held tightly, knowing that whatever came next, they would need them.

“Fight us, and take your defeat with honor,” Diana offered. Her voice clear and proud.

Cassie heaved again, “What she said.”

Ugly and Whisper took notice of one another. Their eyes staring into the other, speaking an unreadable language fluently. Whisper yanked out her whips crying, “Defense formation!”

Diana whipped her lasso from off of her hip and immediately got it to snake around the other lasso wrapped up in Ugly’s hand. Ripping it away from him, she paid no mind to the man’s screaming as the Lasso of Persuasion burned his skin as it flew across the room to Diana’s waiting hands. 

Both sides sprung at the other, fists flying bullets blaring, total insanity. Cassie did her best to try and help, but with how stiff she felt, all she could do was lay up against one of the few remaining columns and watch the fight unfold.

Intergang tried to hold their own, but as most of them were barely trained punks, they were no match for their highly skilled counterparts.

Rocket and Zatanna worked in tandem, each of them created force bubbles around their adversaries, their guns firing around them not realizing their predicament. Then the heroines, taking said bubbles, shook up their constructs as though they were snowglobes. The men inside were thrown around crashing into one another before colliding with their spherical prison. If that were not enough, after that, the two girls smash their bubbles together, destroyed the men’s confines and sending all of them crashing into one another. 

All the others took out their opponents with easy, to the point where Whisper and Ugly both figured out that their best option was to retreat.

Ugly’s hand became lost in his satchel again, only to pull out a small black box with inscriptions on it matching those on his strange yet powerful pistol. 

Cassie’s eyes landed on the box, and immediately noticed the designs, “Wait-”

She tried her best to fling herself away from the column and towards the man and woman, only to be too late. 

A sudden clash of what sounded like thunder erupted throughout the room. It was quickly followed by a blinding yellow light that seemed flicker and spasm as though it were a storm caught in a large mirror. Cassie watched as the red-headed woman and ugly man jumped into the portal, and then it along with it’s two people disappear with another great flash. 

Cassie stood in awe, “What the-”

“Boomtube.”

Turning her head towards whoever said the answer, Cassie noticed that all of the men who got left behind by their lieutenants, were all laying on the ground unconscious. The few moments it took for the man and woman to escape through this “boomtube”, was long enough for all of the team to take out the forgotten foot soldiers. 

The voice had come from Bumblebee, “It was a boomtube. Instant inter-dimensional rift for transportation.”

“Okay then,” Cassie muttered.

Bumblebee turned her head away from the blonde, as her earpiece buzzed in her ear. She along with all the other girls on the team raised their hands to hear whoever was trying to get their attention.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Team, what happened?” Nightwing spoke, his typical cool and collected manner given way to a near panicked tone.

Standing right behind him, Robin watched impatiently for any word on Cassie.

Through the static, Barbara’s voice came through, but still cut out everyone now and again, “Intergang...Treasury...Cassie…”

Her last words perked Tim’s ears. Dick did not fail to see the change in his brother's attention. 

“Repeat transmission,” Dick asserted.

This time, her message rang out, “Intergang attacked in two divisions. One in the city, and one in the treasury. We stopped them. We found Cassie too.”

The news came as an instant relief to him. Everyone was alright, no need for further concern.

A rush of euphoria ran over Tim’s body, only to be suddenly overshadowed by what could be described as being mentally smacked upside the head. 

Tim couldn’t believe he had nearly lost his head, especially over a girl he barely new. A girl he would barely call a friend.

Friend. The word seemed weird to Tim. Of course he had friends long before he could remember, but whatever friendship he had with Cassie, didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like a friendship. He cared about her of course, but he didn’t think he should be worrying about her all day and night. He feared he would go mad if he had to keep this up.

“Great news, team. Nightwing out.”

What if she had superpowers? What if she joined the team and he had to work with her? Tim’s mind couldn’t accept that she might have powers, if she did who knows what could happen.

Dick began to talk, not realizing that his little brother was lost in his own head, “You can take the rest of the night off if you want. Get some sleep.”

That did break Tim’s attention. The boy was able to snap out of his thoughts, and nodded to his brother. 

As Tim walked away, he caught a glance at Dick, working tirelessly at his station. The image conjured up another person who lead without question. Their mentor.

Tim knew that Dick wanted to be Batman when he was younger, but the years made Dick choose a different path. To Tim, the two were not made of the same clay. While Bruce was as coarse as steel, Dick was flexible, able to change. Dick could make friends. 

Within the family dynamics, Tim thought of himself as the bridge between the two. He was not quite the World’s Greatest Detective, but he wasn’t the fun-loving scoundrel that his brother had been known to be. He was a well-struck balance at could be at ease with either party. Always level-headed and smart.

Yet whenever Cassie came into the fold, it all went completely out the window.

This had to stop.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With Cassie’s newfound strength, getting all of the subdued Intergang members into the Bioship was a piece of cake. 

Reveling in her strength, Cassie, with a smile on her face, didn’t notice that none of the team was helping her. They instead were watching as she dragged all the men in without a single complaint.

M’gann would testify that she heard the blonde hum while she worked.

As she threw the last of the men into the cargo bay, Cassie wiped her hands together, finally seeing that everyone stood by watching her, “What?”

Barbara looked at her friends, and as none of them were going to speak, she herself did, “So...you have superpowers now?”

Cassie stood by, taking a long pause, “Yeah.”

“A gift from the gods,” Diana whispered.

Cassie almost spoke, but instead bit her tongue to refrain from speaking about Zeus and his deal. 

Diana began to speak once more, “Cassandra, till we have a full grasp on what has happened, you should stay here and train.”

In turn, Barbara looked to the blonde, “Or, you can forget about this and come back with us.”

Everyone looked at Barbara in shock.

“Are you serious?” Rocket yelled.

The rest of the group cried out their unhappiness with the idea, but Barbara stood her ground, “We have all chosen to be who we are. We wanted this life and we chose to deal with it’s consequences. Cassie deserves to have a choice too.”

A hint of a smile played on Diana’s face. She turned to Cassie and asked, “Batgirl is right. Do you wish to go down this path? It will not be easy to leave once you have started.”

Barbara looked to Cassie as well, “What do you say, Cass? Want to come back with us?”

With all eyes on her, the decision was not going to be easy for Cassie. She wanted to help, she wanted to be like Wonder Woman. Zeus gave her the ability to help people much more than she could ever do by without powers. So why not say yes? The offer was more than tempting.

“You heard Diana,” her conscience arose. “Think about what could happen. You are putting yourself and all those you know in danger. Can you even handle the gifts you’ve been given? Are you willing to pay for your actions?”

After a few moments, Cassie closed her eyes and breathed. 

“Cassie?’ Barbara inquired. “You okay?”

“It’s not like it’s a life-altering decision she’s making here, Batgirl,” Rocket remarked with her usual wit. 

Cassie butted in, “I want to stay here.”

Diana took a few steps to the girl, before placing her hand on her shoulder, “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes,” Cassie replied. “I want to help.”

Barbara smiled, “There’ll be a spot on the team ready for you when you get out of here. Only if you want it though.”

Cassie turned to her mentor, doing her best to transform her face into the greatest ‘can I please’ look that has ever graced a human face. 

Getting caught in Cassie’s line of vision, Diana watched the young girl who tried her best with looking pleadingly at the Amazon. Diana couldn’t help but think that Cassie looked a little like a corgi. 

Diana hid her laugh, “Of course, you may join the team. After your training is complete.”

Cassie couldn’t help but yelp with joy. She hopped around, taking Barbara’s hands into her own to share in her excitement. Barbara couldn’t help but smile as her arms were flailed around like limp noodles.

Diana did chuckle a little at the sight, “I shall also see to it that the league makes some new additions to it’s roster. If that is acceptable to all of you?”

All of the girls giggled in reply, happy with the idea that they could all be members of the Justice League.

As the team stood by one another congratulating themselves on a job well done, Cassie did her best to back away from them. She tiptoed backwards for a solid two minutes before she realized that it was unnecessary. However, she could not help but bask in the warmth that seemed to emanate off of her new friends. They joyful smiles and pats on each other’s backs made Cassie feel safe. Hope filled up her insides, as she wished that she could be as happy on the team as the other girls.

She stopped her reveries, and turned her back to them, slipping away up to her room where the one thing she wanted at the moment was. Her missing presence was hardly noticed.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cassie entered her room, feeling as though she had been gone for over a millennia, when really it was barely over a day since she ran off. She half expected to find dust covering her belongings. Massive collections of cobwebs draped over her bags, moth eaten holes in her clothes that she left strung about the room, but everything was a clean and pristine as the moment she left. 

She went right to her bed, sneaking her hand underneath her pillow pawing for her tiny treasure. With how everything was left untouched, she expected to find the little earpiece exactly where she had left it.

Luck was with her, as she latched onto the tiny thing, pulling it out and placing it in her ear without any delay. She switched on the device and waited to see if there might be anyone on the other end of the line. 

“Hello?” she asked. No reply.

Cassie’s conscience poked at her like the annoying thorn it always was, “Maybe he has better things to do than wait around for a call from you?”

“I wonder if I can ask Miss Martian if it’s possible to kill my conscience,” Cassie replied.

“Nope,” the voice returned. “When any of your rash and stupid decisions get you into trouble, you need something to blame. Even if it is just your subconscious voice that you’ve decided to give a personality.”

Cassie rolled her eyes, “I don’t feel like I’m emotionally and mentally mature enough to have internal arguments with you then.”

“Fair enough, but here we are.”

As she was about to cuss out her own mind, a light clicking sound caught her attention. She raised her hand to her ear to see if who she wanted to talk to was actually there.

“Hello?” she asked again.

Another voice came through, “Cassie?”

Robin. Cassie laid down on her bed, finally at ease with herself, “Yeah, it’s me.”

“Are you okay?” he spoke. Almost pleadingly. “We found out Intergang was on Themyscira, and that you disappeared. What happened?”

“I-” Cassie’s words froze in her mouth. She could not tell him that she failed her tests and ran off. That would be telling him that she had no powers. That she would rather run away from her problems than face up to them. What would he think of her?

Besides, her little toss of the half ton column kinda threw away the idea that she was normal anymore. She could tell him that Zeus called her away from the Amazons and promised to endow her with powers if she did something heroic. He’d believe that, right?

Swallowing down her pride, she found herself talking to him, telling him everything that had happened over the past few days. Every failed test, every bout of anxiety she felt, and every last event that had happened after she ran off. She even mentioned things that she didn’t tell the team. Not on purpose though, she just forgotten to censor any of the information that flew out of her mouth. 

He didn’t seem to mind though. Robin kept quiet as she rattled through her story, listening to every detail. At least that’s what Cassie came to believe as she finished her tale, and only heard dead air on the other line.

“Diana said that as soon as I’m done with my training, she’d let me join the team,” Cassie spoke. Though the sentence sounded more apprehensive than her previous ones.

Dead silence on Robin’s side.  
After a few minutes, a clearing of the throat broke the silence, “That’s great.”

If there was a smile that could come from hearing such a sentence, Cassie would have loved to show it. Yet the dull monotone voice that said it made her twinge. His half-hearted sentiment gave her no happiness, and she wondered why.

“Robin...are you okay?”

She could imagine him. Standing wherever the team met, leaning up against a wall or something. One of his hands ruffling through his short black hair while the other held the earpiece close to his ear. Maybe he was in his full costume, maybe he wasn’t. Were his deep brown eyes hidden away underneath his mask? Or were his eyes blue? Green? She tried to think what would look best.

“Blue,” she thought. “A bright and blazing blue.”

“Yeah,” he answered quickly. “I’m...sorry you had to go through that.”

She did smile at that.

He wasn’t finished, “If you’re going to join the team though, I guess you’ll have to get use to that.”

“Ouch,” Cassie thought.

Robin must have recognized that his words might have come off badly, as all he said was, “So, we’ll be seeing you soon, then?”

Cassie nodded, not realizing that he couldn’t see her doing so, “Yes.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Metropolis  
April 12, 22:47 EST

LexCorp Tower usually ran on a strict twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week schedule, but with the help of a very well penned memo, the building was left all but deserted. That left Lex Luthor and his closest associates able to gather and conspire in peace. 

Each member tucked themselves into opposite sides of the room, Vandal in one corner near Luthor’s personal library, Ra’s by the windows, Ocean Master directly underneath Lex’s portrait, and Bee, laying comfortably on the only couch in the space. 

Lex couldn’t help but be pleased with himself as he poured several drinks for his guests. Most had shown up in his office, save for Klarion. Then again, asking an embodiment of pure chaos for anything was usually a double-edged sword. So, Lex did hold his breath for the creature to show up.

“Is there a particular reason to why you wished us here, Luthor?” Ra’s al Ghul asked. “I did not expect you to take Mannheim’s defeat so poorly.”

The failure of Intergang was expected, but Lex did feel a slight tinge of disappointment as he hoped that Ugly could pull off such a daring plan. If he had, he would have proven himself to the light as a great asset. Or more likely, a better pawn than he was now.

“People such as ourselves often feel the disappointment by our subordinates. You can recognize that can’t you, Ra’s?” Lex’s voice maintaining its natural smoothness as he handed a drink to his fellow companion. He left Ra’s standing alone, so that he could had over the other drink in his hand to the lounging Queen Bee. No one else had taken him up on his offer for a drink. 

Bee took a small sip of the whiskey Lex handed to her, “I cannot recall the last time my men have disappointed me. I must imagine it is a strange sensation.”

Lex did not meet his friend eye to eye, “Nonetheless, now that we are all comfortable, I believe we should begin Has any progress been made on our newest partner?”

Vandal, closing the contents of one of Lex’s numerous encyclopedias nodded, “Black Manta was able to set up a meeting with one of their ambassadors. They seemed as eager to meet us as we were with them.”

This was such good news, Lex couldn’t help but smile, “And...their request?”

“Sportsmaster and Deathstroke have been sent to Kord Industries to retrieve it,” Ra’s piped up. “I have no doubt they shall secure it.”

Even better, “This scarab they mentioned would be a wonderful peace offering to them. If all goes well, it would seem the Justice League’s time on Rimbor wasn’t wasted after all.”

Ocean Master, the eager child that he was, cut into the conversation, “And what about the creatures that pollute my oceans?! They have taken Malina Island for themselves and dump toxic chemicals into my home!”

“The Kroloteans were an...unknown effect of our plan,” Luthor replied. “You cannot expect us to go to war with mindless creatures because they took one little island.”

Queen Bee clicked her tongue to the notion, “They are a little more than mindless, they have supplanted themselves all over the globe. And from what I have heard, they have started to take humans…”

Lex huffed, if the Kroloteans were going to be a problem, then they would have to draw the aliens over to their side. Better to be friends than enemies. Besides, if the weed were to grow too high, the Justice League would come along and pluck them root and stem.

As though they were thinking parallel to one another, Ra’s spoke out, “A minor problem. One that can be easily erased.”

“Besides,” Luthor said as he poured himself a drink. “We have so much to look forward to…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Hey, thank you everyone for all your support for this fic. THIS IS NOT THE END. I have simply decided to cut this whole piece into two parts. The next half will be started soon, so join me in part two, and we’ll explore Cassie and Tim’s relationship through the main YJ:I plotline. 
> 
> Thank you all, and see you soon.
> 
> EKG


End file.
